Finding the Lost
by Sarge
Summary: Max has been searching for Zach sense the beginning, what happens when she finds him?
1. Finding the Lost 1/12

TITLE: Finding the Lost

AUTHOR: Sarge

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

RATING: pg-13

SUMMARY: Logan finds something that could make a huge impact on Max's life, and her search for her siblings.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. James Cameron, and the other guy who's name I sadly can't remember do. As well as Fox.

Max looked out over the city. Her face was impassive, but you could tell that she was thinking about something. Max wondered why the Space Needle had been left standing; it was in ruins. So many other buildings in similar condition had just been destroyed. Then again, it did remind people of what America had once been, and what it had become now that it wasn't America the Beautiful anymore. Well, parts of it were, but if you told the truth you noticed the fact that there was depression without anyone actually being depressed. Max was starting to wonder why she spent so much time up here alone. 

Maybe she should find a new place. The radio had actually done a brief thing on crazy people of the decade in Seattle and one of the people mentioned had been the chick that hangs out the Space Needle. So it was the best place to think, but Hover-cams had been around more often leaving Max to herself. Still someday a picture would show up somewhere and Lydecker would find out where she was. Then everything would go down, and Seattle might have a few more explosions than they could handle in one day. Not to mention that Logan might get a bit upset if she started getting innocent people killed while she was trying to avoid being caught. Of course she didn't want to give up her Space Needle because that led to boredom and no place to stop and think for awhile. She didn't know of anyplace else though. Well, maybe she could sit on top of some building with a railing or something. Then again, it'd have to be an abandoned building because otherwise people might want to talk to her. Talking to people was bad; it led to becoming attached. If she had stayed away from Logan she wouldn't be where she was now, because let's face it, where she was now was in danger. Max eventually had to leave the Space Needle and head home. Kendra would be upset if she woke up and realized that Max had never come home. Kendra worried more about her since she had flushed her pills and then she'd gotten arrested and nearly died. When Max walked into her apartment she was surprised to find Kendra awake, waiting for her and holding her pager. Max had left it at home because she hadn't wanted to be interrupted.

"I don't think Logan is happy you left this here," Kendra told her. "I mean I'm just guessing, but judging by the creative phrase that he came up with when I mentioned that you had left it here, I would say he was upset."

"Wonderful," Max said as she clipped on her pager. "Well, I can't do anything about it now. I have work in an hour and I don't think Normal is going to be to happy if I skip it to go and play 'Person with a Conscience'." 

  


"Fine," Kendra told her as she turned. "But when Logan yells at you for not showing up until after work, make sure he doesn't blame me." 

  


Max found a cup of coffee and drank that as she sat wondering what Logan wanted from her now. It couldn't be anything that important because he hadn't called again. Then again, Nosy probably knew her work schedule so well that he knew when he could bug her and when he couldn't. She'd have to test that theory someday. 

  


"Max," Kendra called from the kitchen. "I think we have a problem."

  


"What problem would that be?" Max asked Kendra as she walked out with her laundry which Kendra was going to do later today. 

  


"Oh, the fact that some people just can't seem to get enough of your company. Walter is coming up the stairs."

  


"I thought Logan took care of Walter," Max said as she headed toward the door. "Why's he coming back?"

  


"Maybe he really liked your coffee," Kendra said grinning as she headed into the back. "I'll just leave you to deal with it." 

  


"Thanks. He better not make me late for work," Max snarled as she heard the knock on the door. She opened it and glared at Walter who was on the other side.

  
  


"What do you want?" Max demanded. 

  


"Someone's been following me. They know what they're doing too," Walter told her. "I want you to help me."

  


"Let me get this straight. Someone's following you, so you came to me?" Max asked in surprise. "I don't think so, Walter. I'm just a Jam Pony rider. I can't help you."

  


"Well, I thought you could testify in court that I'm a good guy," Walter asked her. 

  


"No, Walter," Max said as she grabbed her bike and walked out past him. "I have work to do and then I have a friend to go and talk to." 

  


When Max got to work Normal was watching the door just waiting for her to walk in. 

  


"Max, we're a package service, not a message service. Tell whoever it was that called me to give you a message that he can go to hell before I'll give you anything other than a package and your pay check when you earn one."

  


"Got it, Normal," Max told him as she parked her bike. "Got a run or just felt like yelling at me first thing?" 

  


"Sketch is out on the run that I was going to give you. He got here early."

  


"It's a pity they don't pay for overtime anymore," Max told him. "Is Cindy here yet?" 

  


"She's not working today. She came down with something."

  


"A girlfriend maybe," said one of the workers that didn't like Cindy. Max just had to contribute to his world view and trip him. "Unlike you who can't find his own brain." 

  


Normal had her working hard the rest of the day. He was pissed that she couldn't get along with anyone but select people. The things he managed to come up with for her to do. When Max finally got done with work she bolted out of there so fast that even Normal was surprised, and he had been expecting it. She guessed that's what happens when you usually at least try to act normal. Guess what happens when you fail? 

  


By the time she finally got to Logan's apartment she had found that she didn't need to test her theory about whether he knew her schedule. Her pager had been going off ever since she'd been five minutes out of work. She didn't mind though. It just meant that it was important. 

  


"So what's the dish on why I'm here?" Max asked as she flopped down onto a chair. 

  


"I found Zach," Logan said calmly. 


	2. Finding the Lost 2/12

TITLE: Finding the Lost

AUTHOR: Sarge

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

RATING: pg-13

SUMMARY: Logan finds something that could make a huge impact on Max's life, and her search for her siblings.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. James Cameron, and the other guy who's name I sadly can't remember do. As well as Fox.

  
  
  


Max stared at Logan in disbelief. She couldn't believe that this was happening. In fact she was sure that it couldn't be happening. Logan had found Zach. He really was out there. This was unbelievable. This meant that she wouldn't be alone anymore. Well, alone was a relative term when you thought of the fact that she lived with Kendra and worked with people all the time. Not to mention the errands that she ran for Logan. Still, she had to wonder if this was just a joke that Logan was playing on her for being late. Then again, she wasn't really late; she had just had work. If she thought about it she knew what finding Zach meant. It meant that she was going to go to him wherever he was. Then she would figure out what to do from there. 

  
  
  


"You really found Zach?" Max asked in surprise. There was also a note of wariness in her voice that even Logan recognized. She didn't know if she could trust this information, and Logan started to wonder if now that she knew Zach was out there if she still wanted to find him. 

  
  
  


"I really found Zach," Logan answered. "He's not in Washington." 

  
  
  


"Then where is he?" Max asked as she walked closer, the intense wish to find her sibling burning in her eyes.

  
  
  


"Montana," Logan answered calmly, moving closer and handing her a file. "Max, what are you going to do?"

  
  
  


"What I always planned on doing," Max answered. "Going to find him. Maybe Zach will know where the others are. Maybe some of the others will be there."

  
  
  


"Are you going to come back?" Logan asked her, worried that the answer would be no and he would have to say goodbye to his angel. He didn't want to admit it, but he wished he hadn't found out about Zach even as he watched her now he knew she was going to leave, and he had serious doubts about her coming back. 

  
  
  


"It depends," Max answered. "Zach's in charge. I'll do what he says."

  
  
  


"So you do take orders. I was starting to wonder about that as well." 

  
  
  


"You shouldn't worry about this, Logan," Max told him softly. "If I can't find him I'll come back and we'll keep looking, but I have to check."

  
  
  


"He's there, Max," Logan told her as he watched her look at the file. "And if he's anything like you, he's been looking for the others." 

  
  
  


"We were supposed to find each other again," Max said softly. "But that night... It was just so confusing. I didn't know how many made it out until you told me."

  
  
  


"Well now you have found one of them. What if the others aren't there?" Logan asked her. 

  
  
  


"Then I'll keep looking for them and if Zach won't help me I'll come back."

  
  
  


" Max, be careful," Logan warned her. "Zach may have changed. He may not be like you. He may not even like you."

  
  
  


"We were trained to get along even if we didn't like each other," Max told him. "I don't know if it was the training or the fact that we actually liked each other, but until that last night no one ever disagreed."

  
  
  


"Zach gave the order to split up," Logan guessed as he watched her sit down and look up at him. 

  
  
  


"He did," Max answered calmly. "You already don't like him."

  
  
  


"I haven't even met him. One doesn't form an opinion of someone they don't know."

  
  
  


"Hey, everyone has an opinion on Eyes Only," Max pointed out. "Oh, and Normal wanted me to tell you that we're a package service not a message service and that you can go to hell."

  
  
  


"Does this mean your bad attitude actually isn't solely yours but has something to do with those you work with?" Logan asked her. "Or were you a bitch before Normal?"

  
  
  


"Had it before Normal," Max answered calmly. "I'll leave tomorrow morning."

  
  
  


"I'm surprised you'd wait that long," Logan said and even Max didn't miss the sadness in the tone. Logan thought she was leaving him. 

  
  
  


"Logan, I'll come back," Max promised him. "I might even bring Zach with me. That way we can all get along, and you'll have two people to help you."

  
  
  


"Then you'd put him in danger from Lydecker too," Logan told her. "Max, I want you to do one thing for me before you leave." 

  
  
  


Max couldn't believe that Logan was asking her to do something at a time like this, but she managed to keep silent. Sure, she would come back, but if Zach ordered her to stay it would only be to get her stuff. Why not do Logan one last favor?

  
  
  


"Before you leave tomorrow stop by. I'll try and make your trip easier if I can." 

  
  
  


"Thanks," Max told him softly and headed toward the door. She wondered if she would miss Logan and then realized that she would. She had grown attached and if anything happened to him while she was gone she'd regret it.

  
  
  


Max turned to head out the door wondering if Logan would miss her because he cared about her or because he needed someone to help him save all the people that were being wronged. Max hoped it was both actually. No matter how much she claimed she didn't care when it came down to it Max hated to see what had happened to America. Sure, she thought they believed it, but Kendra and Original Cindy... Those people didn't deserve this.

  
  
  


Logan knew that he would miss Max. He was really starting to wish that he had contacted Zach and asked him to come to Seattle. That way he wouldn't have to watch Max leave. Sure, she could pretend to herself that she was coming back, but he knew that she wasn't. Normal would get pissed and fire her within a day. Then when she came back she wouldn't have anything to do but work for him. Hey, he should have thought of that sooner. 

  
  
  


Max returned to the Space Needle to think about what was happening. Zach. She had found Zach. Well, Logan had found Zach, but he wasn't Zach's brother so it was more important to her. In two days she would find Zach. In two days she would find out just what she meant to him - if he hadn't found her because he couldn't or if he didn't want to, or if there were any others. That was enough for her. Now all she had to do was go home and explain to Kendra why she was leaving. 

  
  



	3. Finding the Lost 3/12

The next morning Max packed a simple bag and strapped it onto her motorcycle. She told Kendra that she'd be back in a week; if she wasn't then Kendra was to tell Logan that she was very sorry, but she had gotten caught or done something stupid, and that it wasn't his fault.

  
  
  


"Max, I don't think a sudden vacation is going to help you with anything," Kendra said as she followed Max down the stairs. "Especially not if you're leaving me messages to let people know that if you get killed it's not their fault." 

  
  
  


"I wouldn't be going if Logan hadn't found my family," Max answered calmly. "If I get killed on the way I just don't want him to blame himself. Who knows what the guy would do." 

  
  
  


Max actually had a pretty good idea of what Logan would do, and it didn't strike her as something that would make his life expectancy very long. He'd go off on an Eyes Only fit, which would just create havoc with the Military, and that wouldn't be a good thing. The Manticore project had done it and look where it got them hunted. What a wonderful way to live.

  
  
  


"So you promise to be home in a week?" Kendra asked. "I mean within a week."

  
  
  


"I promise to be home within a week, and if I'm not you get to give the messages to people," Max told her, giving her a quick hug. "Logan will most likely stop by at work. I warned Original because you don't work there, but he might show up here too."

  
  
  


"You are starting to worry too much, girl," Kendra told her smiling. "Just go before you take off in the middle of a sentence or something." 

  
  
  


Max didn't need to be told twice and before Kendra could get in another word Max was speeding off toward Logan's. If Kendra had known that she wouldn't have been happy about it. Max had left her all these messages, and she couldn't have just told him herself? 

  
  
  


When Max walked in Logan was waiting for her with a small bag. He calmly handed it to her and watched as she smiled and turned. Just before she walked out the door she turned back. 

  
  
  


"Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," Max warned. " Who knows what kinda mess Zach and I'll get into while I'm gone."

  
  
  


"How does this affect me?" Logan asked her. "Well, if you're in trouble and I'm in trouble then we're both in trouble and can't get each other out of it."

  
  
  


"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Logan told her. "Have fun, Max." 

  
  
  


"Fun?" Max asked with a grin. 'What's that?" 

  
  
  


Max headed out of Seattle glad that she now had Sector passes to get past the Sector Police. This way she didn't have to worry about getting her motorcycle scratched trying to break through their check points. Logan could be so thoughtful sometimes.

  
  
  


Max spent an interesting day on the road to Montana and didn't really stop much except to get a drink or two. Finally she pulled into the small Montana town where Zach was supposed to be living and found a room for the night. She would start looking for him in the morning. It wasn't like she didn't have the energy to look for him right away, but it was 9:00 at night and the police frowned upon young women out in the streets after dark. She didn't want to attract unnecessary attention to herself. 

  
  
  


When she did manage to get out of the hotel the next morning it was 10:00. The patroness was a very motherly type person. She had watched Max eat a three-course breakfast and then had her do some light exercise, stressing the need to stay fit. Max had been very hard pressed not to say anything, very hard pressed. It wasn't her nature to be sweet and non-offending, but everyone has to make exceptions. 

  
  
  


Max walked into a restaurant and surveyed the people. She had no idea how to find Zach seeing as she didn't even have a current picture. She walked up to the apparent owner of the store and hoped she could make him believe the story she had just thought up. 

  
  
  


"Can I help you?" the owner asked politely. 

  
  
  


"I'm looking for my cousin," Max said. "I know he lives here, but I just don't know where. I'm only 17 and my parents just died. I'm looking for him to let him know and to see if he knows someone I can stay with."

  
  
  


"It would help if you told me his name," the owner said to her. 

  
  
  


Max was honestly hoping that Zach had kept his name, or at least something resembling it.

  
  
  


"I think his name is Zach," she said softly. "We were pretty little the last time we saw each other. He wouldn't be that much older than me. Somewhere under 22."

  
  
  


"Your in quite a fix, little lady," the owner said, turning back to his work. "I'm afraid I don't know anyone named Zach." 

  
  
  


Max bristled at being called "little lady" but didn't think it would make a good impression if she tried to give the man a concussion. Not that anyone in the store would notice, she thought. However, there was a girl in the back with flaming red hair. She was noticeably shy, staying as far away from Max as she could as Max walked toward the door. Still, something about her felt familiar. She did look sort of like one of the twelve that Max hadn't known very well - Selina. But as far as she knew Selina hadn't been shy. Still, Max couldn't risk the girl being Selina and being able to tell Zach that she was here. As Max turned she swung her head so that she flashed the bar code at the girl and then headed out the door. 

  
  
  


Max spent the next four hours looking for someone called "Zach" and didn't get anything. Some people wouldn't even answer her questions. She caught a glimpse of the girl once more but didn't see her again after that. Max headed back to the hotel, which surprisingly did have a pool, and spent the rest of the day swimming laps in it. She had to do something. She really didn't want this to be a dead end. She was so close, and Logan had been so sure. It couldn't be the end.

  
  
  


Before she headed back to her room she decided to call Logan. The least she could do was see if he knew something more. She dug her cell phone out of her bag and sat down in a deck chair to dial his number. Logan answered the phone with calmness. The fact that it was from Montana didn't have anything to do with the fact that his stomach was now on Mars somewhere.

  
  
  


"Hello?"

  
  
  


"Logan, this is Max. I've been here a whole day and talked to people for a whole day and no one, let me repeat that, NO one seems to know Zach."

  
  
  


"Max, you don't even know if he's going by that name."

  
  
  


"That's the problem. He could be right here, and I wouldn't know it unless I see him. Unless I talk to him no one will tell him."

  
  
  


"Max, calm down," Logan suggested. "He has to be in Montana somewhere."

  
  
  


"You do remember that the Pulse made our bank accounts smaller, not our country," Max reminded him. "Telling me 'He's in Montana' isn't all that helpful." 

  
  
  


"Let me put it this way. I traced him to that town. If he's not in it, then he's not there and the link is dead."

  
  
  


"So, Montana right?" Max asked suddenly, thinking that spending extensive time searching the town tomorrow was in order. "Sounds better than 'the world'."

  
  
  


"I would say so," Logan agreed. "So, still coming back?" 

  
  
  


"If I can't find him, yeah," Max answered. "And even if I do and he wants me to stay I have to come back and tell Kendra and stuff."

  
  
  


Max hung up the phone after a few minutes when Logan confirmed that he didn't have anything else that could be helpful to her. When Max returned to her room she went on instant alert. She could feel someone else was in her room. 

  
  
  


"I know someone's in here, and you won't get the drop on me so you might as well come out now."

  
  
  


A blonde male around Max's age walked out of the shadows and looked at her. 

  
  
  


"She was right. You are here. Welcome back, Max."

  
  
  


"Zach," Max breathed in surprise.

  
  
  


* * * end part three 


	4. Finding the Lost 4/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: MAX IS IN MONTANA AND FINDS WHAT SHE IS LOOKING FOR. WILL SHE FIND MORE THEN THAT?

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLESS EGLESSE AND FOX HOWEVER HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE MINE BECAUSE THE ONLY THEY'VE CONFIRMED IS ZACH, BUT HEY IF THEY WANT THEM THEY CAN HAVE THEM.

Max stared at the person she had spent so long trying to find. She tried to come up with something other than his name, which would have sounded much more intelligent.

  
  
  


"So, this is what little Max grew up to be," Zach said softly as he hugged her quickly. "Seven of the others are here, Max. I don't know how many are out, but you're home now."

  
  
  


"Thirteen of us got out including me," Max answered. "Did the seven include you?"

  
  
  


"No," Zach said. "We make nine. Four more and our unit is back."

  
  
  


"Is that a good thing?" Max asked carefully. She could tell that's what Zach wanted. He felt responsible for them all. It was a part of him. However, Zach had to face that those four might not want to stay with them. She wasn't sure if she did. Then again, Zach hadn't even offered to let her stay yet.

  
  
  


"It's always a good thing to find my team. I'm so glad you came, Max. I have you back now." Zach held her close in a brotherly embrace. Max returned the hug like a long-lost sister.

  
  
  


"So, the girl in the store really was Selina?" Max asked as she stepped back a little.

  
  
  


"Yes. It was Selina that brought me to you. A few of the others were in town today as well," Zach told her. "None of them saw you, or if they did they didn't notice."

  
  
  


"Glad to know I'm not a sore thumb," Max said smiling faintly. "So, you gonna introduce me to the others or am I going to stand here all night?" 

  
  
  


"I suppose that I could introduce you to the others," Zach told her. "However, it's late and you might not want to draw attention to yourself."

  
  
  


"Zach, they think I'm your cousin. I don't think they'll notice if I leave with my newly-found cousin after my parents have just died." 

  
  
  


"We don't have parents," Zach answered stiffly then softened a bit. "It is a good story though, so let's go."Zach saw her head towards her motorcycle, and he shook his head.

  
  
  


"Max, I did bring a car," he commented, amused that she felt the need to ride a motorcycle. It fit with some of her training though. Zach may have been section leader, but Max had been Lydecker's personal project. To her an inclosed space was a dangerous space.

  
  
  


"Oh. A car," Max said, slowly edging toward it. "How long is the trip?"

  
  
  


"Don't worry. It's safe here," Zach promised as Max climbed into the car without any further hesitation. "We all protect each other. If you hadn't been you, I would have dealt with the problem." 

  
  
  


Max didn't say anything. The training from their youth showed in all of them. While they all had the same basic skills some of them had developed them in a more complicated way. Zach, as section leader, had to protect his squad. He would do anything to that end. Max was his second. She would protect Zach. Zach had to be glad to have her back. The others were here as well though.

  
  
  


"So, who else is here?" Max asked. 

  
  
  


"Selina, Brad, Megan, Dawn, Carina, Jordan, and Michael," Zach answered. "Selina and I are engaged." 

  
  
  


Max stared at Zach with a look of pure shock. Engaged to Selina? What had happened in the last few years? Marriage plans were the last thing she had ever expected Zach to announce. This wasn't really welcome news. Sure, she was happy for Zach, but she was in shock. Not something she wanted the other siblings to see.

  
  
  


"Are you serious?" Max asked him, trying to sound calm. 

  
  
  


"Surprised?" Zach asked. "Brad said you would be. Dawn told him that he was jealous."

  
  
  


"So, what do you guys do for a living?" Max asked suddenly to change the subject. She had to wonder how eight of them were able to live without drawing attention to themselves.

  
  
  


"We run a computer company from our farmhouse. We have enough money."

  
  
  


"Really? Is it good computer stuff? I know a guy that could use it," Max said and then regretted it. Thinking about Logan made her think about home. While she was very glad to have found Zach and the others she already missed Logan and his good-intentioned cable hacks. "Looks like the Pulse didn't do much damage around here."

  
  
  


"No. I hear Washington got it bad. So did Oregon and California," Zach said. "We supply a guy in Washington. Gave him some high tech stuff. He's probably still trying to figure out how to use it." 

  
  
  


Max could tell from Zach's tone that he wasn't talking about Washington just because he knew that she came from there. It seemed that he just wanted to keep her informed about what they were doing. 

  
  
  


"Sounds interesting," Max replied. "Any idea why he wanted it?"

  
  
  


"Not a clue. He's well spoken for a rich kid," Zach answered. "Then again, I bet you could pull of a few tricks of your own. What did you do?"

  
  
  


"I tried to stay out of everyone's way," Max answered. "It doesn't matter now, Zach. I only have to go back to tell them I quit... or whatever it is you want me to do."

  
  
  


"You'd stay?" Zach asked. He almost seemed surprised. "Because we did find one of the others who wouldn't have anything to do with us."

  
  
  


"Some people need to broaden their world view," Max answered. "I've lived in two states since I got out and neither of them were Montana. I guess this will do for awhile." 

  
  
  


When they got to the farm house ten minutes later Max could tell everyone had been waiting for Zach. They each stood at a window but hidden in the shadow. You'd have to know just where to look in order to see them.

  
  
  


"Lydecker would have a lot of fun training us now," Max commented dryly. "After all these years that we've lived in freedom."

  
  
  


"That's his problem," Zach answered. "When do you have to go back?" 

  
  
  


"Day after tomorrow would be a good day," Max told him. "Just to close that chapter of my life. You know us, Zach. We have to keep moving. I probably would have had to leave where I was soon anyway." 

  
  
  


Max felt sort of guilty about all this. She was leaving Logan in the dirt. She was sure he wouldn't be too happy about that. She hoped that Eyes Only didn't suffer too much for it. She spent the last few seconds before jumping out of the car trying to convince herself that Logan wouldn't really miss her. He might miss having someone that could help him out once in awhile, but he wouldn't really miss her as a person. After those few seconds of rationalization she still wasn't convinced.

  
  
  


"So, it's really her," Selina said from the doorway. "I didn't believe it when you told me that I'd seen Max."

  
  
  


"Who else could it be?" Zach asked her.

  
  
  


"From the sound of it, there's only one more of our girls still out there and she has blonde hair." 

  
  
  


Lydecker had been pissed about Selina's red hair and Grace's blonde hair, Max remembered. He hadn't been too pleased about how they'd all have to wear hats in the field. He'd thought that it was inefficient. 

  
  
  


A young man walked up to Selina's left. Zach had only mentioned three other males so Max assumed that this one was either Michael, Brad, or Jordan. It had been so long since she'd seen any of them that she couldn't positively identify him yet. When the rest of them came outside however, Max suddenly felt very glad to be home. She followed them into the house. They showed her that she would be Dawn's roommate. That was fine with her. She was used to having a roommate. But now, with a roommate who understood her, she could stay awake all night and no one would care. They left her to unpack but Dawn remained. Since Dawn wanted to get to know her new roommate too Max decided to start asking questions. Important questions. 

  
  
  


"Do you guys still get the seizures?" Max asked softly as she put away her stuff. 

  
  
  


"Yeah," Dawn answered. "Good thing that we know all the Trypto. suppliers. There are suppliers within a three state range and we can break in any time."

  
  
  


"Lucky. I tried it when my roommate flushed my pills. She thought I was a drug addict. I had such bad seizures that I actually got caught." Max winced at the thought. "But as you can tell, no harm no foul." 

  
  
  


Dawn explained many of the house rules explaining that you didn't have to answer any question you didn't want to. You could tell them as much or as little as you wanted to. Dawn then dragged Max downstairs so that the others could meet her and get to know her.

  
  
  


Michael stayed close to Max. Sense Selina had no urge to be anyone's second in command the title had passed to Michael, but now that Max was back it went back to the original holder. Still something about Max touched Michael as he watched her all night. She was calm, but happy. There was no way however to miss the dangerous edge in Max's eyes or in the way she moved. She was on alert even among friends because she had just met them and didn't know they were friends. Michael was going to get very close to Max from now on. They had spoken just a few words, but Michael already knew that Max was meant to help him. Zach had Selina now, Dawn and Carina talked to each other. The others seemed to be loaners, or just hung out together. Michael wasn't looking for a girlfriend, but rather a soul mate and that's what he thought Max was, and he wasn't going to lose her.

  
  
  


"So Max how do you like your new home?" Michael asked her.

  
  
  


"I'll like it better when I'm back for good." Max answered. "I have to head back to where I came from for awhile, but I'll be back. Nothing could keep me away."

True to her word Max left the day after the next on her motorcycle. It was all any of them could do to let her go. They hoped that she would return, and Michael had wanted to go with her. Michael however had been overruled by Zach who thought that it wouldn't be fair. Michael would be crowding into a past Max didn't talk about. after that Michael had stopped asking to go, but he was counting down the days until Max came back.

  
  
  


Max thought it was very strange the eagerness in which Michael had gotten to know her. Jordan was already calling her Maxie claiming big brother rights. She had a family. Zach was like a brother as were most of the others. Max couldn't wait to return, but at the same time she dreaded returning home because that meant excuses, and she didn't want to have to leave Logan. However Logan had helped her find her family so he understood what was happening. Most likely he'd be surprised she came back. He might have even found someone to replace her by now. Right sure he had, and America was super power again.


	5. Finding the Lost 5/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: MAX HEADS BACK HOME TO TELL EVERYONE THE NEWS. HOW DO THEY TAKE IT?

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLESS EGLESSE AND FOX HOWEVER HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE MINE BECAUSE THE ONLY THEY'VE CONFIRMED IS ZACH, BUT HEY IF THEY WANT THEM THEY CAN HAVE THEM.

Max spent the long trip back trying to think of a good way to explain things to everyone. How could she explain why her family, who she had re-discovered less than three days ago, was suddenly so important to her? In fact, she knew that there wasn't a good way, and no one was going to happy about the news. Well, maybe Normal would be, but he'd never liked her anyway.

  
  
  


Kendra was teaching a language lesson when Max returned to the apartment. Max nodded at her and headed into her room to start packing. An hour later pretty much everything was packed and Kendra was done with her lesson. Kendra walked into the room, saw what was on the floor, and turned to glare at Max.

  
  
  


"You're leaving for good?" she asked in surprise. "Max, couldn't you just settle for spending your vacation time with them?"

  
  
  


"No. I've been looking for my family my entire life. Don't me wrong, Kendra. You are a great roommate, but they're my family."

  
  
  


"And that's the perfect reason for everything," Kendra said softly. "Will you at least come visit us once in a while?"

  
  
  


"If I'm not too busy. Not to mention the fact that I'd have to find sector passes. We know that it might not happen," Max said, trying not to meet Kendra's eyes directly, wishing her words hadn't sounded so cold.

  
  
  


"When are you leaving again?" Kendra asked her roommate, hoping that it would be long enough for Original, Logan and herself to come up with a plan to keep their friend in Seattle. She helped so many people. Sketch might even help out if he learned that his favorite do-gooder home girl was leaving him in the lurch. 

  
  
  


"I have to stop by to see Logan. I got a sector pass by being really nice to the people in Montana when I told them my plight. They are ever so eagerly awaiting my return."

  
  
  


"Max, what did you do?" Kendra asked suspiciously. "The sector police would never eagerly await your return."

  
  
  


"They do when you're the long-lost relative of a multi-millionaire who wants her to stay with the rest of the family."

  
  
  


"And they just blindly believed this?" Kendra asked in surprise. "I didn't know people could be that dense."

  
  
  


"No, it's true," Max said. "I'll send money for my part of the rent until you find a new roommate. I really do hate to leave you in the lurch like this, but they really want me to come home. Michael and Dawn alone are smothering me. They're so happy that we're back together that they can hardly stand to be out of sight."

  
  
  


"And Michael would be who?" Kendra asked in confusion. "And who is Dawn? Aren't you all related in some freaky way?"

  
  
  


"Only in our minds," Max answered smiling. "Oh, and I have to go and tell Normal that I quit." 

  
  
  


"Original and I don't think that this is a good idea. How well do you know these guys?" Kendra asked. She was scraping the bottom here.

  
  
  


"I know you don't trust them. You haven't met them, but honestly, they're family. And even if it all ends badly I'll just move on. Don't get me wrong, Kendra. You're the greatest and I'm not leaving because of you. I'm leaving because I want to know them again." 

  
  
  


When Max finished packing Kendra helped her strap everything onto the motorcycle. Max had very carefully wrapped the statue of Bask that had found its way back into her home. Kendra hadn't commented on the way her friend had looked as she surveyed the apartment for the last time. Then Max walked out, hugged Kendra briefly, and was gone. Kendra couldn't do anything about it. 

  
  
  


When Max walked into work Sketch was by her side in about five seconds flat. 

  
  
  


"Max, you have to help me. I'm in major trouble," Sketch said pleadingly. 

  
  
  


"I don't have time, Sketch," Max told him. "See, maybe you haven't heard, but I'm moving. From now on you have to get yourself out of whatever situation you get yourself into."

  
  
  


"Max, please say this is a really bad joke," Sketch pleaded as he followed her over to Normal's station. "Because I don't think I find it funny at all."

  
  
  


"It's not a joke," Max said. "Normal, I'm back."

  
  
  


"Good, you can start work now since you don't sleep." Normal glared at Sketch as he handed him a package. "Go. I need to talk with your home girl about something." 

  
  
  


"Normal, I'm not coming back to work. I quit. I'm moving. I'd like to say that I've had a nice working experience, but we all know I would be lying so I'll just leave now. Bye Sketch." Max turned and was halfway out the door when Normal grabbed her arm. He turned her around and glared at her.

  
  
  


"Could you repeat that?" Normal asked her. 

  
  
  


"I quit," Max said calmly. "Now, let go of my arm before I break yours." 

  
  
  


Normal hastily let go of her arm but continued to scowl. "You have to give a one week notice," Normal said. "Or forfeit your paycheck. So which is it?"

  
  
  


"You can keep the money. I don't need it. Sorry about the notice and all, but I didn't know what would happen when I visited my family."

  
  
  


"Well, I'd say I want you to have a nice life, but hey, we all know that I don't like you, you don't like me, so I won't bother. I assume your going to tell your friends you don't work here anymore so I can stop being your secretary?" 

  
  
  


"That's what I'm on my way to do," Max answered. "I'll leave my message for Original with Sketch. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself with one more message." 

  
  
  


Sketch had been watching all this, waiting for Max to say it was all a joke. After seeing Normal and Max's confrontation he knew it wasn't. He had turned several shades paler than looked healthy. 

  
  
  


"Relax, Sketch," Max told him lightly. "You still have Original." 

  
  
  


"You may not have noticed, Max, but Original doesn't like guys all that much," Sketch told her, giving her puppy dog eyes. "And I'm not exactly her favorite person anyway."

  
  
  


"Sure. I've known that for a long time," Max told him. "Since it appears Original is out on a run I want you to tell her goodbye for me. Got it? I'll drop a letter by at her place, but if you forget... I will come back, and it'll be to get you into trouble, got that?"

  
  
  


"Got it," Sketch said, edging away from her a little. "Well, I wish you luck wherever it is you're off to."

  
  
  


"Family, Sketch," Max answered, smiling faintly. "I found my family." 

  
  
  


"Good for you. At least you have one. I keep losing parts of mine," Sketch said as he hugged her. "Goodbye, Max."

  
  
  


"Bye, Sketch," Max said and then turned and walked off. She gave a grinning Normal the finger as she left. 

  
  
  


When Max made it to Logan's apartment she was starting to wish that he wouldn't be home. She almost wished that she could just leave a note. The look on Logan's face when she told him that she was leaving wasn't going to be one she enjoyed. Sure, Logan might act sweet and tell her that he was glad that she was going to get to spend time with her family. But she still felt bad for doing this to him. When Max actually entered the apartment she was greeted with silence.

  
  
  


"What? Did everyone decide not to be home when I decided to come say goodbye?" Max asked herself softly. She stood perfectly still just inside the door and listened. Small movement could be heard, but not typing. Sleeping. Logan was sleeping on a perfectly good afternoon? Well, she'd just have to wake him up. If she could make it through her entire goodbye speech and keep her nerve then all would be good. She could go and he could stay and life would go on. 

  
  
  


Max knocked on the door lightly. She had learned that people who knew that you could kill them using your little finger didn't like being woken up suddenly. It tended to startle them and could potentially include panicked gunfire. It was the middle of the day, but then again you never knew. Once she was quite sure that Logan was awake and she wasn't going to see anything that he didn't want her to see she walked into the room.

  
  
  


"I'm back," Max said calmly as she leaned against the wall. 

  
  
  


"Gee, I couldn't tell," Logan told her. "Did you find Zach?"

  
  
  


"I found Zach," Max answered. "I'm here to say goodbye."

  
  
  


"Max, please. Think about what you're doing," Logan tried to reason with her. "He's only one of the others. Don't you want to find the rest?"

  
  
  


"I have found the others. Including myself and Zach there are nine of us." 

  
  
  


"Nine?" he exclaimed in shock. "Nine of you? Are you nuts? So many of you so close. You have to be drawing attention to yourself." 

  
  
  


"They aren't," Max insisted. "The only way Zach found me was because I ran into Selina by chance. It's the funniest thing," she added, almost talking more to herself than to him. "But Zach and Selina are going to get married. I never thought that Zach would marry someone. Not even when we did get out. Let alone Selina." 

  
  
  


"So, let me get this straight. There are nine of you in one place. They've managed to stay hidden and Zach, your leader, is going to marry this Selina?" Logan asked. He had sat up and Max now had a perfect view of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Logan was an evil person, she decided. It was hard to keep a good distance from someone when you couldn't stop staring at the said person's chest. 

  
  
  


"You would have gotten the correct assumption," Max said, recovering from her babble about Selina and Zach in time to save herself from doing something embarrassing. "So, anyway I'm going back before Michael comes and hunts me down. Michael really wanted to come back with me, but Zach couldn't get him a sector pass."

  
  
  


"You could have called me," Logan muttered as he fought back an urge to get down on his knees and beg. He figured that with his luck she'd probably just look at him skeptically and leave him there until his therapist came by the next day. He decided against the gesture. "So, you're leaving today and stopped by for what reason?"

  
  
  


"Well, I didn't want you to worry," she answered. "I mean, it's not like I didn't have the time to tell you that I was leaving Seattle and like I was never coming back. You're one of the people on my list of people who deserve to know. So here I am."

  
  
  


"I'm so glad you care," Logan said, trying to keep any hint of bitterness out of his voice. So, she was leaving and she did care. That was why she had stopped by, right? It had to be. She at least cared. Then again, if she really cared would she be leaving him and his Eyes Only crusade in the lurch? He didn't think so, even if it was a miracle that she had helped him in the first place. He was really going to miss her. "So, you found the others. Were they as happy to see you as you hoped?"

  
  
  


"Yeah, they were. Like I said, Michael even wanted to come home with me. Dawn kept giving him this look, but yes, it's nice to be around the people I grew up with again."

  
  
  


"I'm so glad that you were able to recapture the first nine years of your life." Logan was having a hard time not becoming grumpy. Here he was quite happily hanging around Max every day. He worked desperately to walk again so he could still keep her around. She might not see any logic in that line of reasoning, but he certainly did. He happened to like Max. He thought that Max had sorta kinda been in denial about liking him, too. Now all his hopes were dashed by some guy with a barcode on his neck. He already didn't like Zach, and what was up with this Michael guy? 

  
  
  


"Well, anyway, I gotta jet. Sorry I had to wake you up and all, but I thought that you'd want to know I was leaving. Besides, I wasn't sure what Normal would do if you showed up at Jam Pony. Let's just say we didn't part on friendly terms." 

  
  
  


"Max, what happens now?" Logan asked her. "Do you just go and forget about Seattle?"

  
  
  


"You think I'd do that?" Max asked, giving him a slight glare as she produced a piece of paper. "If something happens and you can't bail yourself out of trouble dial the number. I'll be back."

  
  
  


"I have a question. In the 'heartless-we-don't-feel-anything-we're-super-killing-machines' gang, who's field commander?" Logan asked smiling slightly as he put the phone number in his pocket. 

  
  
  


"Zach is," Max answered. "Zach's always been in charge. He was the general's pet project. I was Lydecker's." 

  
  
  


This was new information to Logan, but he didn't say anything. He had been wondering why Lydecker had been going after Max with such intensity, but it wasn't that important any more. She was leaving and anything he did in Seattle would no longer have any effect on her. Still, Logan couldn't just say goodbye to Max and know that he was never going to see her again. Was there any big thing that was likely to convince Max to come back to Seattle after this? There wasn't. So, he was going to do what he should have done when he had first met Max. Maybe then this wouldn't be happening.

  
  
  


"Max, come here for a sec," Logan said, smiling at her. "You think I'm just going to let you leave if all you do is say goodbye?" 

  
  
  


"A girl can dream can't she?" Max said walking over. "So what now? I don't think I can fence anything of yours in Montana for any more then you'd get for it here."

  
  
  


Logan grabbed Max's arm pulled her down to his level and kissed her. He was quite sure that he knew what heaven was for those few moments before he let go of her. The good news was she hadn't pulled away. The bad news was that most likely she was still going to leave. And before she left she was probably going to kill him. Instead, Max ducked away quickly and went back to the wall. 

  
  
  


"Like I said, I gotta jet," Max said softly and then she turned to walk out, trying not to look at him. She may have been a part of the Manticore project, but she did have common sense. Her common sense told her Logan was hurting and she didn't want to see it. 

  
  
  


Logan watched Max go and felt his future leave. All he could do was hope that someday she would come back. Maybe then he could have his second chance. The look in Max's eyes as she had left had said it all; he was too late now. 

  
  
  


Max spent the entire ride back to Montana wavering between elation over the fact that Logan liked her and fury over the fact that he had kissed her. Then there was guilt over leaving him. Her emotions were all over the place. However, Max had a future with her siblings now. Though one part of her said that she should have stayed with Logan another part kept insisting that there was no room for him in her life. She would be better off staying with her sibs. Judging by the direction that she was driving, it was this second part which had won. 

  
  
  


"I'm sorry, Logan." Max said as she crossed the Washington boarder. "I never thought I'd care." 

  
  
  


* * *

end part five 

  
  



	6. Finding the Lost 6/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: ZACH CAN TELL SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MAX SHE ISN'T WHO HE REMEMBERS, BUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH MAX? 

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLESS EGLESSE AND FOX HOWEVER HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE MINE BECAUSE THE ONLY THEY'VE CONFIRMED IS ZACH BUT IF THEY WANT THE REST OF THEM THEY CAN HAVE THEM.

Montana - Six Months Later 

Zach was quite happy with Selina and was very happy to have Max back. Max knew things, understood things, about people that he hadn't thought of before. She went out among them and publicized the company. She always wore long necked shirts when she went out, never risking public exposure. Once Zach got past all the glee of having Max back, though, even he had to admit that there were problems. 

  


Michael was one of those problems. Michael had been quite delighted by Max's return and had appointed himself as her bodyguard. It was a rather pointless position since Max was just as strong, if not stronger than he was. Max was ready to kill him for being so needlessly overprotective of her around other males. He had made it very clear that he liked Max, but Max had been avoiding that like the plague. Speak of the devil, Zach thought absently as Max walked into the room.

  


"Hey, Zach," Max greeted him as she walked into the small walled garden that they kept up. 

  


"Max, where's Michael?" Zach asked, somewhat surprised not to see him following her. 

  


"He's off bugging Selina," Max answered. "I told him that the commander thought that his wife looked ill and needed to be watched. Fell for it. At least for the next hour or so."

  


"Max, I don't think Selina is going to enjoy his company much," Zach said, amused that Michael had fallen for it. Well, either that or it had been one of those "if I don't listen to her she'll kill me" moments. Zach now had to move on to the other problem he was having with Max. If Dawn hadn't told him about it he wouldn't have know there was a problem. Maybe he was just reading too much into it, but he didn't think so. 

  


Max watched Zach, wondering why his eyes were flickering. She was the only one that saw it, and she even knew what it meant. Zach was thinking and he didn't enjoy what he was thinking about. Max knew she had to do something about Michael. She wasn't stupid and no matter how much he came onto her she couldn't get over her past. That past was what Zach was thinking about now. 

  


"Max, who's Logan?' Zach asked finally. "You know I wouldn't ask, but Dawn can hear when you talk in your sleep. And you space, Max. When you come out of it you're ready for anything, but when you're spaced... Max, why can't you just leave your past behind you?" 

  


"Maybe I became too human," she answered calmly. "You had Selina. When you found the others you didn't leave your past. I'm guessing that Dawn and Michael had each other. So did some of the others, and that's why they are so close. But I didn't. I found other people that cared, Zach, and I left them in a bad way."

  


It was the truth. Max still felt a lot of guilt about leaving Logan, but she wasn't going back. She was going to get over it, and she was going to move on. The truth was that for all Michael's faults he wasn't that bad. Dawn and Selina were her best friends. She wanted to make things work out here. 

  


"I don't even know where you came from, Max. That doesn't mean I don't trust you, but a part of you isn't here," Zach told her. "We want to be happy and free. That was the point of escaping."

  


"I am free and I am happy. You're right though. I'm not all here, but I will be. A part of me just got lost in shipping," Max told him. "So, we got a shipment to Washington to deal with, right?" 

  


"Go ahead, Max. I know you don't like to slack on your job," Zach said. Then he stopped her. "The garden was Selina's idea. It helps her think. Somehow I don't sense you getting the same peace of mind from it. We've all admitted we need space to think. So, where would you go? Where do you go?"

  


"The roof," Max answered. "I think better when I'm dealing with heights." 

  


"Another thing to think about when we add on," Zach smiled. "So, you fix your motorcycle?"

  


"Of course. That's the other way I think - by going fast, very fast. My motorcycle helps me think too," Max told him. He nodded in understanding and Max headed to finish the package processing.

  


It was odd that Zach had never seemed curious about where exactly Max had been for the past few years. He could have found out easily if he'd just checked her registration papers. They had been signed in Seattle. Max knew exactly where in Washington that the latest computer gear shipment was going. It had been simple for her to find out where all of them were going. This one, like so many others before it, was going to a man named Caleb Stone at a warehouse. It was easy enough for Max to figure out that it was Logan. Max had everything ready to be shipped. At the last moment she grabbed a post-it note off the desk. She wrote two words on the paper before sealing it in the box. She carried the package out to the Jeep and handed it to Jordan along with several other boxes. Jordan was in charge of delivery to the main state post office. Bike messengers would never have to carry these particular packages. That, in Max's opinion, was a good thing.

  


"Maxie, want to come with me?" Jordan asked. "Not like Zach will care. You can see the big city." 

  


Jordan was the only one that called her Maxie. The nickname bothered the hell out of her, but he claimed that it was what all big brothers were supposed to do. She'd just have to deal with it.

  


"Sure," Max said. "Just let me grab my cell phone." She headed back into the house and grabbed it out of her jacket pocket. It was the cell phone with her pager number. The pager number that she had left with Logan. If anything big went down Logan could still get ahold of her. Assuming that Logan even ever wanted to speak to her again. She came back quickly and jumped into the jeep 

  


"What is with you and that thing?" Jordan teased her. "Maxie, those things are so 1990's." 

  


"Someone has been watching a little to much TV," Max answered with a smile. "Keep calling me 'Maxie' and I'll come up with a nickname for you that you won't like either." 

  


"You can go ahead and try, Maxie," Jordan told her, still grinning. "Might be worth that brain power of yours." He paused and gave her a thoughtful look. "You know, we got a call from the post office wanting to deal with you from now on. Maxie sweetie, you're not supposed to be sweet."

  


"Why does everyone have the misconception that I'm sweet?" Max demanded. "I'm not sweet. I'm still the same 'Maxie' you all know and love. Can I help it if I wouldn't let that guy beat the post officer up? It's my job to beat people up."

  


"Maxie, I knew there was a reason that Zach liked you best," Jordan told her. 

  


"I think Zach likes Selina more then he likes me. At least I hope he likes Selina more then he likes me."

  


"Well, I do suppose that you have a point there. At least they aren't planning on having children," Jordan said. "We'd never get any sleep." 

  


They pulled up to the post office and walked inside. Both of them carried boxes. Everyone there knew what day it was - the day the major computer corporation came for the deliveries. 

  


"You haul, I'll talk," Max told Jordan. She planned on cutting down the time they spent in the post office today. She had personal business that she wanted to attend to, like heading to the local library. Hopefully she could pick up some news on Seattle. Maybe there would even be a mention of what Eyes Only was currently up to, or if he was even around anymore. 

  


It was a very frustrating hour due to the fact that Jordan made her look much more human and close to the post office people than she cared for. If only he would learn that calling her "Maxie" in public didn't endear her to him in any way, shape, or form. In fact, she was very close to becoming very pissed off. She did manage not to throttle the 24-year-old post officer that tried adopting Jordan's habit of calling her "Maxie". That's when Jordan had woken up and started to defend his sister's honor. That hadn't been fun either. He was now sulking behind her as she paid the bill. The news came on and Max turned an attentive ear. It was always good to know what was going on.

  


"...Breaking news. In today's news, several bombs went off in Seattle, Washington at a messenger service office, the Jam Pony Express, injuring five. One in critical condition," the news anchor said. "Officials are baffled as to motives. This latest round of unrest has prompted city officials to place Seattle under Military control."

  


Max's face turned a shade of white that Jordan was sure hadn't been programmed into Manticore's usual range of reaction options. 

  


"Max, what's wrong?" Jordan asked, trying to get her attention. 

  


Max barely noticed him; her eyes were glued to the screen until the reporter finished her report. Max was lost in thought. Why hadn't Logan called her? Why hadn't she left her number with Kendra and Cindy? She couldn't believe this had happened. One of them was in critical condition. She couldn't handle this. They might be dead because she wasn't there. She would have known that something was going down. She had skills. She could hear timers and smell nitrogen and bomb-making materials. She could have saved them.

  


"Max!" Jordan yelled shaking her. "Snap out of it, girl. It's Seattle. It's two states away."

  


Just then Max's cell phone rang. Since Logan was the only one with the number, or at least she hoped he was, she snapped out of her trance and picked it up hastily.

  


"Max," she said trying not to let her voice shake.

  


"Seattle has been hit by terrorists and Lydecker's been put in charge. We need you Max."

  


"What, no hello?" Max asked, a smirk covering her relief at hearing his voice. "I'll be there in a day."

  


"Max, be careful." Logan told her. "You sure you can make it?" 

  


"I'm looking at a news report now," Max answered, allowing a little of her pain to creep into her voice. "I'm coming back." 


	7. Finding the Lost 7/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: Max is going back to Seattle to salvage what she can of her former life, but is it a mistake?

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLESS EGLESSE AND FOX HOWEVER HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE MINE BECAUSE THE ONLY THEY'VE CONFIRMED IS ZACH BUT IF THEY WANT THE REST OF THEM THEY CAN HAVE THEM.

Max jumped into the car, pulling Jordan with her. She had to get back to the house, get her motorcycle, and get back on the road before anyone could stop her. Not to mention that she had to keep Jordan from telling everyone else what was going on. She had a feeling that it would have been easier to make the sun change directions. 

"Jordan, I'm leaving for awhile." Max told him as she drove. She was breaking quite a few driving laws all at once.

"Maxie, are you crazy?" Jordan asked. "What the heck happened back there? I've never seen that cell phone ring. Now it does and all the sudden and you're leaving."

"Look, I'm from Seattle," Max told him. "I have stuff I have to go back and take care of." 

"You mean people. I have good hearing, Max. I know that was a guy on the other end of the line," Jordan said, his eyes hardening. "What is Michael going to say?" Max kept driving out of sheer need to get back and get going before she could be stopped. 

"I don't care what Michael has to say about what I'm doing," Max snapped as she made the turn-off. "I do what I want to do. Don't you dare try to stop me, Jordan."

"I'm your brother, Max. And I heard him say that Lydecker was put in charge. I don't think Zach is going to be happy to know this."

"Zach can be as unhappy as he wants to be. I'm not going to be stopped," Max told Jordan. "You know me. All of you do. Are you really going to try?" 

"Max, we love you. We have to at least try," Jordan told her. He knew it would be hopeless though. When Max set out to do something either the mark fell, or she wasn't coming back. Lydecker wasn't behind this, but even she didn't stand for tyranny.

When they got back Max bolted up the stairs. Michael, who had been wondering where in hell his girl had gone off to, followed hot on her heels. When she slammed the door in his face he had quite a lot to say about it.

"Max, you open this door! I don't care what Dawn says. I'll break it down!" Michael yelled. "Where the hell did you go? It's dangerous out there alone, Max. You're too important to lose, especially from carelessness." 

Max listened to him rant while she packed. She answered everything he said under her breath.

"Yeah, I'm so important. Because of me, the next time someone wants the post office to deliver a bomb they might mistakenly drop it at the abandoned house next door," Max muttered. "Dare I forget the fact that I'm Zach's second in command even though Selina should be. Well, actually Brad would do a better job than either of us. He's better at balancing the personal stuff against the greater good." 

Max finished packing and jumped out her window without any further hesitation. It wasn't that she didn't need to say goodbye, but if she did they'd stop her. If they stopped her Michael might do something very similar to what Logan had done when he had found out she was leaving. If that happened she would be in big trouble. Very big trouble. Zach however wasn't field commander because he happened to look good in the uniform. He was field commander because he knew his stuff. When you've got one agent pounding on another agent's door something is up. Watch the windows.

"Max, what are you doing?" Zach asked calmly, looking at her bag. 

"I'm leaving for a little while," Max answered. "I have to go do something. I'll be back as soon as I can, Zach, but I have to do this."

"You don't have to do anything," Zach replied. "Michael told me something was off with you lately. When you took off with Jordan I should have suspected something. What happened in town?" 

Jordan chose that moment to come outside. He walked up behind Max and put his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Her cell phone rang," Jordan answered him. "Let her go, Zach. The news did something to her." 

"So, you just want us to watch her leave again, not knowing if she's coming back? Maybe let her walk right into Lydecker's hands?" Michael asked as he walked over to Jordan and Max. "I'd rather have all of the West Coast blown up."

Max paled at the thought. Michael almost seemed to be stalking her now. Determined not to let her go. Almost anticipating closing her off from any other influence but his. And maybe Zach's. 

"Michael, I am my own person," Max said firmly. "And I can't condone the way I left my other friends. I won't just sit by and watch Lydecker kill them like animals. I won't do it because that's what we were to him. Animals. He had no respect for us except that we were dangerous. We kill things. We are genetically engineered killing machines to him, and heaven forbid we ever have anything else on our agenda. Now I am going to help my friends, and so help me, Michael, I will not let you get in my way."

"Will you come back?" Zach asked her.

"I only promised to help them. I didn't promise to stay with them," Max answered. "I'll only stay as long as it takes to solve the problem."

"What if it's out of your league?" Michael asked. "You're to important to risk. Give Dawn your friends' address and she'll go help them." 

"So what? Now I'm more important than Dawn?" Max demanded, astonished by his irrational arguments. "I don't think so, Michael. In case you haven't noticed, and I would believe it if you hadn't, but all people are supposedly equal. Hence the notion that Dawn can't be less important to us than I am." 

"If you promise to come back," Zach stated firmly. "And to contact us to send help if you get in trouble, then I will condone your going."

"Maxie, I'd agree with him if I were you," Jordan said, holding on to her more firmly. "You may be one of the stronger one's, but I don't think you can get past all of us." 

"I'm going to solve this problem," Max told them. "I will come back Zach. Only death could keep me away."

"Your death isn't a price we are willing to pay. Not for the lives of people that have no impact on ours," Michael said, closing in on her. "I am not willing to watch you die, Max. And I don't want to see it all over the news the next day. I care about you."

"I care about all of you too, but I care about my friends as well. Who do you think found Zach for me? You think a poor street girl with no clue where any of you had gone did it? No. They did. I owe them for that," Max told them. 

In truth, Max didn't blame them for being surprised at her. They were not supposed to care. Sure they cared about each other, but they were a very small group. They were like family, or very close friends. They didn't understand why she still cared about her past. She realized that if she hadn't met Logan she might have been like them. Before she met Logan Seattle had just been another stopping point until she could find the others. However, fate had intervened and Logan had found her. His stubborn belief that the world could be a better place been strong enough to make even Max care. 

I am going to help them with our without your complete approval," she said. "We always wanted to be human, but we don't want to show human emotions. These people have a chance to live normal lives. I am not going to let Lydecker take over."

"Go ahead, Max." Zach told her. "Just please come back to us." 

"I will," Max answered. "So can we stop being repetitive and move on?" 

Zach nodded slowly. Max quickly hugged the rest of her sibs who had just come out to see what everyone was upset about. 

"Maxie, be careful." Jordan said, hugging her back. "And remember the speed limit. I don't want you to get killed for driving in some stupid way." 

"Hey, enough with the motorcycle comments. I'm sick of them already, okay?" Max snapped. She stuck her stuff into the storage bin and jumped onto her motorcycle. "Gotta jet," she said as she took off. Much to everyone's surprise she didn't look back. 

"We are never going to see her again," Michael spat at Zach angrily. "Lydecker will kill her." 

"Yeah, well I don't think she'd give him the chance," Zach answered. "If she doesn't come back it won't be because of Lydecker." 

"Sure, that's what you say," Michael answered. "I liked her Zach. She's like me. She's closed off too."

"Sorry, Michael, but I don't think Maxie liked you very much lately," Jordan said. "She needs the time away and so do you." 

Max had to work hard to drive the speed limit and keep anyone from noticing her. She knew that the sector police were going to be tight around Seattle. Tighter than usual if Lydecker was in charge. He may have a huge goal to capture all of the former Manticore escapees, but he didn't stand a chance in hell of ever catching all of them. He did, however, have a very good chance of catching the people that had done this to Seattle. He wouldn't care what happened to the people who had nearly died though. Max intended to save those had been hurt and keep the military from getting any farther out of line. 

When Max got to Seattle it was little more then child's play to get inside the city. She blended in easily and looked like she belonged. The first thing she did was pull out a cell phone and dial Logan's number.

"Hello?" came Logan's confused voice. "Who has this number?" 

"It's me," Max answered calmly. "I'm back. What do you want me to do?" 

Logan was in shock. Max was back. She had really come back. He thought that was what she had just said. The more he thought about it, though, he couldn't find a reason for Max to leave her family. Well, he thought that he had given her a reason before she left, but that had been six months. It hadn't stopped her from leaving and he hadn't heard a single thing from her since. Not so much as a hint... except for a messed up software order... with a two-word note that had said "I'm sorry". 

"Hello? Logan?" Max asked softly. "Are you there?" 

"Max?" Logan questioned. "Is it really you?" 

"Yeah. The bitch is back," Max answered. 

  


*** 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Finding the Lost 8/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST PART EIGHT

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: SARGE2525@HOTMAIL.COM

SUMMARY: MAX SEE'S LOGAN AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN GOES TO VISIT KENDRA.

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. FOX, JAMES CAMERON AND CHARLES EGLEE DO. I CLAIM NO OWNERSHIP.

Max headed to Logan's apartment. She was sure that he was going to enjoy glaring at her for a few days. He had a good reason to glare. For once, Max did feel guilty. She knew it wasn't good for her to feel guilty, but she couldn't help it. She had been wrong to just up and leave them. Not to mention that coming back to Seattle and seeing Logan was going to make her face what she had simply ignored while living in Montana. The fact that Logan had kissed her. 

When Max reached the apartment she wished she hadn't started to think about the kiss. Now that was where her thoughts were, and they needed to be on business instead. Max decided that knocking on the door would be most appropriate. If she were Logan she would hardly be speaking to Max about now. She hoped that Eyes Only had managed alright after she had left. If he hadn't she was going to feel really bad. Well, she already felt really bad. She'd just feel even worse than she felt now. Oh well, life goes on.

Max knocked on the door and waited for a response. What she got was hardly what she expected.

"It's open," Logan yelled from his study. 

"You'd think that you'd at least lock your door," Max said, tisking as she walked into the apartment.

"Didn't want to risk you breaking it," Logan answered. He was still out of sight, but Max followed the voice. "Who knows what you've been doing lately. You might have forgotten what a door knob is." 

"That's a little harsh," Max replied. "It's not like I was out becoming a renegade or something. I just went to live with family." 

"Sketch and Cindy are in the hospital," Logan answered coming out of his office. "Did you hear about that?" 

Max would have answered the question if she hadn't been in such shock at seeing Logan again. Sure, she had known she was going to see him, but she wasn't prepared for what she actually saw. He was walking!

"Oh my!" Max answered. Her remark could be taken as surprise at the news about Sketch and Cindy and not about Logan walking again. She was afraid that he might have found her surprise insulting. "I had heard about some Jam Pony workers being in critical condition, but I didn't think that it was them."

"Yes, well Normal was ever so kind enough to give Sketch the package who then tried to trade it with Cindy. Seems that he was in trouble again and needed to go try talking himself out of whatever it was. He had some half-baked scheme for getting them their money back and needed Cindy to cover for him." 

"Sketch just never learns," Max commented dryly. "Well, are they going to be alright?"

"Critical condition, Max. They don't know," Logan answered softly as he watched Max's eyes turn a little glassy. 

Max was trying to see if guilt lane was the right place to visit at this moment or if she should move on. Maybe she should work on getting a plan and forget about guilt until Kendra, Cindy, and Sketch could lay it on her. She was sure that Logan would help. Judging once more by the fact that he was walking Eyes Only shouldn't have suffered too much.

"So what do you want me to do?" Max asked. "You're right about one thing. My family and I did do a little training while we were together. Let's just say I've refreshed some old skills."

"I doubt that they needed that much help considering your line of work," Logan said politely. "I suppose you want to see Sketch and Cindy."

"No offense. I am glad to be back and all, but they aren't awake. They won't know that I'm there, and I can't help them. I think it's best to focus on what we have now - the people that are alive and will make it unless Lydecker screws them."

"Same old Max," Logan commented. "All right. The Jam Pony office is now Lydecker's base of operations."

"Why so close to that bomb location?" Max questioned. "I heard one went off in a big business area. Why would he pick that one?" 

"Max, the Jam Pony building is the only one with survivors," Logan told her. "Just how clear were the news updates?" 

"Not very clear at all. I suppose he's taken over?"

"He had Normal put in jail," Logan answered. "And then he took over. Jam Pony workers are the only ones that manage to get out and do work. And the only work that they do is for Lydecker."

"Great," Max thought absently. "What's my chance of getting back into the business without Lydecker noticing?"

"Pretty good. A lot of people haven't been showing up for work," Logan told her. "I can make an ID and then you should be pretty much set."

"So why are Cindy and Sketch both in critical?" Max asked him. "Last I heard it was only one person." 

"Lydecker doesn't listen to the doctors. They told him that Cindy couldn't answer very many questions. When she stopped being able to answer he didn't like that very much," Logan said darkly. "He never knew you worked at Jam Pony so that isn't why he pushed her."

"Why is he so stupid?" Max asked the air around her. "I mean, how come I get stuck with stupid villains who have a whole army behind them?"

"It's just your rotten luck," Logan answered. Although inside he was thinking that it was his rotten luck. Now all that Max was thinking about was stopping the stupid villain and hadn't even seemed to notice that he could walk again. His regained mobility really didn't seem to affect her all that much. Maybe kissing her before she left had been a very bad idea. It didn't seem like she remembered it or even cared. That bugged him because he remembered and he would definitely not mind making it a regular occurrence. 

"Figures," Max muttered. "Well, I suppose I should go and see Kendra and see if she can let me stay with her. She never was able to find a roommate."

"You can stay here. In fact, I think it would be safer," Logan told her. He had a hidden agenda for why he wanted Max to stay here. As happy as he was that Max was back he'd be even happier if she stayed. His goal was to convince her to do so. Even if it took a lot of time and very painfully subtle handling. He'd been leading the city around for a long time with his Eyes Only news bulletins. It was through those that he had gotten Max to work for him in the first place. Sketch, Cindy and Kendra were going to help too. 

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Max asked him. "I don't want to be an inconvenience or anything. I mean, if I were you I'd hardly be speaking to me."

"Max, I've found it very hard to stay mad at you," Logan answered. "Now, I'll create your fake ID if you want to go and find out what the word on the street is."

"I wish Sketch wasn't in the hospital. He is always in the loop. Do you know what happened to any of the others?" Max asked Logan as she looked out over the city. It was almost silent out there with only movement patrols going past every once in awhile. 

"Why is it, Max, that every time I'm with you the question of knowing anything about 'others' comes up?" Logan asked her. "No. The Jam Pony crew only released Sketch and Cindy's names because they were looking for next of kin."

"It figures that it would be something stupid like that," Max muttered. "Now, it's going to be hard to get in and out until tomorrow. Plus the fact that my motorcycle is a little high-profile and I don't have a bike to use."

"I have one you can borrow." Logan told her. "Bling told me biking would be good for my legs once I got back on my feet. Believe me it took me a long time before I didn't fall over on it." 

"I'm sure that being able to walk again is a great relief," Max replied steadily, trying to keep her voice from doing anything funny. She didn't want to give the impression that she cared. Her goal here was what she had promised Zach - to get in, fix the problem, and get out before Lydecker could do anything to her. That meant leaving Logan again. It wouldn't do her any good to get attached or to stay attached. That was not a good line of thought.

"I was very happy, yes," Logan answered. So Max was going to go back to being cold military issue female. Logan had dealt with it before, and he could deal with it again. What he didn't understand was why she always had to wear such form-fitting clothing. Did she always do this? Was it normal for her? Of course, it's normal for her, you moron, he scolded himself. If she wears tight clothing everyday it would have to be normal. 

"Well, I'm sure that you've learned from your mistake before and henceforth will not go running out in open gunfire?" Max questioned. "I mean, I'm glad to be back and I will stay as long as you need me. Michael will hunt me down in a few weeks though, and believe me, you won't like Michael." 

Logan already didn't like Michael, but he thought that it would be pointless to bring it up. Max knew that he had never met Michael and she tended not to make judgements about people until she met them. Well usually anyway. Sometimes she was human. 

Max meanwhile was thinking about the others and about something new that she had just realized. None of the others really knew where she was. Sure, Jordan might make an educated guess, but they'd have to hunt Logan down. Dawn knew about Logan, but she didn't know what part of her past. If she really wanted to stay here she could. Eventually they would find her, but they would let her stay. However, considering that she didn't really want to stay it wasn't it a big thing.

"Yes, I've learned from my mistake," Logan said flashing a smile. "Next time I'll send you out in front of the open gunfire."

"Gee thanks," Max muttered. "Send me out where I can get killed. You know, just because we have a few genetic bonuses doesn't mean we come with bulletproof packaging."

"Something that keeps you on Earth," Logan told her. "Plus, it might keep you in Seattle. Go see Kendra, Max. We can talk later." Max nodded and headed out the door. Before she walked out she turned around and looked back at him.

"You know I didn't leave just because I felt like it, alright? Please tell me you don't blame me for all this," Max pleaded with him. She felt guilt. She shouldn't. Guilt was a sign of weakness, but she couldn't stand the thought of anyone blaming her for this all because she had left. 

"Max," Logan said in surprise. He had known that she hadn't left guilt free, but he also knew the question that she was really asking even though she didn't know it herself. Currently she did blame herself for the mess that everyone was in. Now she was asking him if that was right. It was a sign of trust; one that Logan wouldn't forget. "Even if you had been here Max," Logan told her softly. "You could only have done so much before even you were stopped."

"Thank you," Max said quietly. Then she turned slowly and walked out the door, ready to face the reality that was Seattle after a bomb attack. People in the streets were hostile and unlikely to offer any help. The police were wary of anyone and everyone. She was stopped several times and detained for questioning as to the nature of her travel through the city. Each time her answer was the same; she was back from vacation and was going to see if her former roommate was ok. 

"General Lydecker has the city under lock-down," one guard said suspiciously. "They should have sent you somewhere else."

"Hey, I can't help the choices that other people make." Max defended irritated and losing her patience quickly. "I have friends here and I'm worried. If she's hurt she may need medical attention. Now how is anyone going to know if I don't go there?" 

"Fine. Go on through," the guard answered. "You chicks are all the same." 

Max headed back to her old apartment and knocked on the door. She was hoping very strongly that Kendra would be in. Kendra heard someone at the door and didn't really feel like getting up to answer it. She still didn't have a new roommate and had been wondering how much longer Max would pay for her share. Sure, Kendra had looked for a new roommate, but none of them had any life. When Kendra did finally open the door she nearly fell over in shock. 

"Max!" she breathed in surprise. "You're back."

"For awhile," Max replied. "Took you a while to get the door. I was worried that something had happened to you."

"Did you hear about Cindy?" Kendra asked suddenly as tears came to her eyes. 

"Yeah. I'd go visit her, but I don't think it would do any good right now," Max replied. "So how's life been treating you?"

"Max, it's been six months and that's the first thing that you have to say?" Kendra demanded. "I should hit you or something."

"Violence is not always the answer," Max replied. "I know I should have written something. I was just really caught up with my family and stuff. I can't believe that this happened."

"Max, the city is going through the worst depression it's had since right after the Pulse. We have enough food, but the solider and the police are doing everything they can to break the spirit of the city. They think it was an inside job."

"I haven't heard that interesting bit of information yet," Max mused. "So I know you haven't found a roommate. Which is cool before you say anything." 

"Then why did you bring it up?" 

"I don't know," Max answered looking down at the floor. "I guess if I were you I'd hate me."

"Max, you had nothing to do with this," Kendra insisted. "If you're feeling guiltily I'm going to call Logan." 

"I already talked to Logan," Max replied. "I guess it's really what everyone thinks Cindy and Sketch are going to say. No matter what anybody says, I do I feel guilty about that."

"They're your friends, Max. They are not going to leave you because they nearly got killed by something that wasn't your fault. You didn't set off the bomb. If you had tried to do anything about it and gotten hurt they would have felt guilty. They do not want you to feel guilty since there is nothing you could have done."

"I knew there was a reason you were such a great roommate," Max answered with a smile. 

They spent hours talking. Max told her all about everything, including Jordan and Michael. They laughed a lot. Surprisingly Kendra almost had Max in tears, but it just wasn't going to happen. Toward 2:00 in the morning Max's pager started going off and she saw Logan's number. 

"Duty calls right?" Kendra asked her as she turned the pager off. "Go ahead, Max. You better come see me again though or I'll try hunting you down."

"I didn't know you had that much spare time," Max answered, laughing as she got up to leave. She looked out the window and noticed the rain. "Perfect. Just what I needed." 

Max hugged Kendra goodbye and headed out into the rain. She moved slowly through the city streets, not wanting to get picked up for speeding. Still when a military vehicle came to a sudden stop in front of her she tensed, ready for a fight. Instead and to her great surprise Lydecker's head popped out. 

"Get home you stupid woman," Lydecker yelled. "It's after curfew. I don't think you want to end up in jail." 

Max just nodded numbly and sped off as soon as they were gone. So Lydecker was still alive and well. He wasn't just sitting in an office and ordering people around. He was out in the field ordering them around. This was interesting news to her. Max knew she needed to make a trip to Jam Pony to see what was going on. She decided that it could wait until morning though. 


	9. Finding the Lost 9/12

The next morning when Max woke up Logan was already in the middle of his workout. She smiled as she watched him work. His eyes shone with determination as he watched the morning news.

"Old habits die hard huh?" Max asked as she walked into the room. She leaned against the wall and studied him. " So, you settle for watching the news now, or do you still make it?"

"Eyes Only found a way to move beyond the loss of its 'hit girl'," Logan answered tensely. "It was hard, Max."

"I know," she answered. "I didn't ask if it was easy. So, you got the gear that will get me into Jam Pony?" 

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Logan asked her. He stopped lifting weights and walked closer to her. 

"I do have a vague idea, yeah," Max answered with a smile. "Don't worry about me, Logan. I spent nine years in intense training for this sort of thing. Yes, I do want to forget those nine years, but they happened nonetheless." 

"What would your siblings do if you got hurt?" Logan asked he as he grabbed a towel.

"They'd come and kill whoever was responsible," Max answered. "Well, Michael would, but that would just be on principle."

"Max, if you die because I made it possible for you to get close to Lydecker, which one of us would they deem responsible for your death?" Logan asked trying to get his point across. The idea of putting him in danger seemed to be an off-point for her. She didn't seem to like the idea.

"Lydecker," Max answered. "Really, they only know the name 'Logan' and that's because of something that I didn't know had happened. They wouldn't hunt you down. Again, Michael might try based on the fact that you're a guy, but I'm hoping Zach and Dawn would talk sense into him."

"Yeah, I would hope so too," Logan agreed. "So, do we want food this morning or are we just going to run off with my bike and annoy everyone else by showing up again?"

"There might be people working at Jam Pony who could still recognize me," Max said suddenly. "You did give me a new name, right?"

"Of course," Logan answered. "If I used your real name it would be like posting a sign 'kill the Eyes Only hit girl here' or maybe 'I was a former child of the Manticore project. Did you want to talk to me?'"

"At least you still have a sense of humor," Max replied, rolling her eyes. "Thank you. You're very well trained for a civilian."

"I'll take that as a compliment implying that I'm slightly less likely to end up as cannon fodder," Logan said wryly. 

"Cannon fodder?" Max asked. "What the heck kind of phrase is that?"

"Do you read?" Logan asked. "Books from before the Pulse?" 

"Rarely." Max shook her head. "I've never heard the phrase 'cannon fodder'. What does it mean?" 

"People who die because they are simply in the way," Logan replied. "Foot soldiers who get killed early in the action without making much difference to either side. Disposable, replaceable, inconsequential..."

"Okay already. I get the idea. Sounds like something Lydecker would know all about," Max answered. "Well, if you'll get me that ID I'll jet before I'm late for work. Gotta make it up to the boss that I was too scared to come in."

"Meek Max," Logan suggested. "Don't act like a girl with an attitude. He'll never believe that you were scared."

"I hate acting meek," Max muttered as he handed her the phony ID. "It always leads to people looking at me like I should be their next one-night-stand. At least this time I don't have to act like a stripper. I tell you, the things I did for Sketch."

"I'm sure he was very grateful," Logan answered. "Okay, your name is Samantha. You're a golden girl. If you see Lydecker make sure to call him 'Sir'." 

"Logan, I hate Lydecker. You want me to be polite to him?" Max answered. "We were trained to do a lot of things at Manticore, but this is not one of them. Being nice to the people who are trying to capture you? I just don't think so."

"Max, please don't get yourself killed over this," Logan warned. "Please. I already lost you once and if you die no phone call of mine will bring you back." 

"Even I die, Logan," Max replied. "We all do someday."

"I'm not saying 'don't ever die'," he snapped in annoyance. "What I'm saying is don't get yourself killed because you couldn't control your anger. Don't let your emotions run away with you on this one." 

"Fine. I'll be Samantha and be really nice to everyone. Since I'm not new I won't need anyone to show me the ropes. Since I have your bike he's going to be more willing to let me work for him again. Thanks, Logan. You're a life saver."

"You're the one that saved lives," Logan corrected. "I just pointed you in the right direction." 

Max grabbed her bike and headed out the door clipping her new ID to her jacket as she walked. She didn't really look like the Max that everyone remembered. She had borrowed some clothes from Dawn while she was packing. Dawn probably hadn't figured it out yet though. When Max arrived at Jam Pony she took a deep breath before heading inside.

"Who the hell are you?" one of Lydecker's military men demanded as soon as she had stepped into the warehouse. "We haven't seen you here before." 

"I'm sorry that I've skipped work," Max said, doing her best impersonation of a frightened person. "I was just so scared to come back. Seeing what happened, you know?"

"Another one of those kind," the guard snorted. "Alright, head on over there. We put Herbal in charge of the packages. You screw up a run and you're in jail. Posts need these things ASAP and if they don't get there we'll have another crisis on our hands."

"Yes, sir," Max said, keeping her eyes down. Her voice wasn't the perfect shade of meek but it would have to do. Max walked over to Herbal, pulling her hat down and hoping against hope that he wouldn't recognize her. Then she simply decided that taking matters into her own hands would be much safer. 

"Hello, I'm Samantha. I take it that you're in charge now?" Max asked, still keeping her head down and trying to keep her voice sweet. "Do you have a run for me?" 

"Yes. You can take this dreadfully heavy package over to the sector police in division one." Herbal said in his accent, which she thankfully understood. "Make it snappy, girl. Our new boss no like the ladies with dark hair." 

Max smiled at this. It figured that Lydecker would hold a grudge against the whole world just because Max had caused him some trouble. She grabbed the package, put it in her bag, and jumped on her bike before Herbal could say anything else. She remembered the districts pretty well and she made it in no time. Her Jam Pony pass got her easily through every sector police check until she dropped off her package. Then she headed back. As soon as she walked up to Herbal he waved her away. 

"We don't got that many packages," he told her. "We should get a big rush after lunch though. Go find your friends."

"Thanks Herbal," Max said, looking him in the eyes briefly. "I'm glad I decided to come back to work. Even if my friends don't know I'm here. It's just they're hurt, you know? They can't come back. They saw too much and now they are in critical condition. It'd just be too much, but I had to come back." 

Thankfully Herbal was smart. He caught on immediately that Max must have a good reason for using the name "Samantha". He realized that calling her "Max" would probably get her into a lot of trouble. 

"Go and visit your friends after work then," Herbal suggested. "If they aren't in comas, which I doubt they are, they'll be glad to see a friendly face." 

That was news to Max. She had assumed when Logan had said that Sketch and Cindy were in critical condition that it meant they were comatose. Well, it was nice to know that some people didn't make those assumptions and were kind enough to clue her in. 

"Thanks and have a good day," Max told him as she went to get something to drink. Max sat down and observed the people that were milling around waiting for a run. A few minutes later Lydecker came out of his office and glared at everyone with ice in his eyes. 

"Turn the TV on," Lydecker ordered. As the screen flared to life showing an Eyes Only brief Lydecker could barely contain his rage. Even Max could tell that he was five seconds away from snapping as Logan tried to rally support against the latest scumbag - none other than Lydecker himself. 

"Find this man and arrest him!" Lydecker yelled. "He shouldn't be allowed to make these. Who the hell is this guy?"

"Eyes Only is the only free voice left in this city. It can't be bought and it cannot be silenced," Logan finished. The TV went back to regularly scheduled programming.

"Guess they'll be looking for awhile," Max murmured. She turned away from Lydecker, pulling her turtleneck up further to hide her barcode. 

"I need someone to run a package for me, Herbal," Lydecker said, turning toward the man. "And I need it to get to its destination, which shall only be known by the rider, within half an hour. Who is trustworthy?" 

"Samantha. Dat girl got an honest streak in her a mile wide," Herbal said, flashing Max a smile. He knew that this could be a potential break, but on the other hand, being alone with Lydecker could be very bad. Even if all he was planning on doing was handing her a package.

"Which one is Samantha?" Lydecker asked, carefully toning down his voice. If he lost his temper then people would completely lose faith in him. That would make it even harder to hold the city.

"I'm Samantha," Max said quietly. She stood and walked over to Lydecker, keeping her eyes down and trying to look like a timid, but good little bike messenger. It wasn't working. She hadn't been genetically engineered to be an actress. She had been engineered to be a soldier.

"Samantha, why do I get the impression that you're hiding something?" Lydecker asked when she avoided his gaze. Max was actually doing this to see what the first conclusion he would jump to. Maybe he was off the whole Manticore project thing and would guess she had something to do with the bomb that went off. "Never mind," he said abruptly. "The package is more important right now. They should give you one to return to me when you get there. Bring it to me at once."

Lydecker gave her the delivery address. She was off before he could warn her that if she didn't get the package delivered he would kindly remove her head. When Max returned soon with a package for Lydecker she went to his office. When she heard loud voices inside, however, she decided against knocking right away. 

"Explain to me why I'm suddenly a target for the biggest free speech cyberjournalist in the United States?" Lydecker asked someone that Max couldn't see. Anger was clear in his voice. "How can he know?' 

"It's often viewed that he doesn't really know," a man answered. Max assumed that he was one of Lydecker's men. "He just goes with what information he can get. The bad thing is that he gets really good information."

"He won't get any information on me, will he?" Lydecker demanded. "Because you are going to find a nice convenient way to make sure the two workers here never recover. The world must never find out that I destroyed Seattle."

"Sir, I doubt that anyone would believe it even if it did leak," the man objected. "You are a decorated military man. Despite the ruin of Manticore, which no one outside the project really knows about, this wouldn't affect your career at all." 

"Manticore isn't a loss," Lydecker snarled. "One of them is in Seattle. That's the whole point. This is going to get me that girl. I am going to take the first step in restarting Manticore. Then we are going to make America the most powerful nation once more, even if we have to kill every person in Seattle to do it." 

Max stopped listening then. If she hadn't felt guilty before she did now. All this was because of her. That wasn't good. People had died because of her. People would die because of her. However, she now knew for sure that Lydecker was warped. If she didn't find a way to wrest Seattle out of his control it wouldn't be long before he hunted Logan down and found out where she was. Then he would hunt them all. Max knocked on the door. As soon as it opened she handed the package to Lydecker then turned and walked away. 

She jumped on her bike and headed back to Logan's, her mind whirling. Working here wouldn't do her any good. It was time to do something about Lydecker that would keep the rest of Manticore's leftovers safe. She wondered what Lydecker's men would think when they found out exactly how "inside" Seattle's inside job had been. She had heard somewhere that people don't like it when their leaders betray them. If she wasn't mistaken, sometimes lynching was involved. She was betting on the side of lynching. People already didn't like Lydecker because of all the misery his martial law was causing. Wait until they got a load of the fact that things would have been a lot better if Lydecker had kept his trigger-happy fingers away from Seattle to begin with. 

On the other hand, if Lydecker had known that she was in Seattle and that was the entire point of all this then she was in major trouble. It would be even worse if he took the Manticore project public and made it seem like they were the bad guys. No, that wouldn't do at all. Having half the United States' special military forces after them was bad enough. If the entire nation was hunting them they wouldn't stand a chance. Now Max and Logan had to talk. The next few days were going to make or break Lydecker... and Max. 


	10. Finding the Lost 10/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST 

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: SARGE2525@HOTMAIL.COM

SUMMARY: MAX AND LOGAN BEGIN A PLAN TO TAKE DOWN LYDECKER AND INSURE THE SAFETY OF THE MANTICORE ESCAPEE'S FOREVER.

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. SEE PREVIOUS PARTS FOR FULL DISCLAIMER.

When Max returned to Logan's apartment she was spinning hundreds of ideas through her head. She just couldn't come up with a plan that would work without getting someone hurt. Anything that would tip Seattle off to the fact that Lydecker had some reason other than being a crazed maniac with way too much power and time on his hands wouldn't work.

"Max what are you doing here?" Logan asked her. "I mean, shouldn't you be at Jam Pony trying to figure out what's going on?"

"I already did," Max told him triumphantly. "It's all Lydecker's doing."

"Max, I know you don't like him, but don't you think you're jumping to conclusions a little fast?" Logan asked. "I mean, did you even see the guy?"

"I did. I even talked with him," Max answered. "When I got back from his errand I heard him talking about Eyes Only, who by the way is now going to be arrested, assuming that they ever find out who you are. Anyway, moving on. He was ranting and raving about how he hadn't blown up Seattle just to be trashed by you, but instead to find the Manticore girl he knew lived here." 

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Logan asked her. "I mean, it sounds a little strange that he would blow up Seattle for one person, even though you are a really smart and valuable person."

"I'm worth eight million on the Chinese black market," Max told him. Logan gave her a look worth gold. He was clearly skeptically about this statement and wondered where she had gotten her information. "Michael pissed me off one day, so I was looking for a way to get rid of him," Max answered. "Oddly enough, he didn't like the idea of moving to China and being a government project."

"Gee, I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that he escaped from that life young? Before they could corrupt him enough for him to be under the mistaken impression that it was a good thing."

"It could be. Most likely it was because I wouldn't come with him," Max said rolling her eyes. "He's attached."

"So, getting back to Lydecker and his apparent obsession with the Manticore project..." Logan said. " He nearly sent the entire population of Seattle on a one way trip to being dead because of one person."

"I don't even get why," Max told him. "I mean, if you think about it, what good does blowing up a city do when you're looking for someone? It just means you've killed people. In fact, had I wanted to I would have slipped out of Seattle. So what does he know that we don't?"

"Maybe he got the 411 that you were helping people for awhile," Logan suggested. "Not to mention that Jam Pony does have the highest Eyes Only support group."

"There are support groups?" Max asked in surprise. "You've got this city under your spell Logan. What happens if someday you're wrong?"

"I won't be wrong," Logan told her. "Then again, what did Lydecker say about the Eyes Only broadcast?"

"I believe I made the earlier statement about how he now officially hates you and has ordered your arrest. After that he'll probably have you killed."

"See, now I believe you," Logan told her. "So what do you want to do about Lydecker. It's not exactly safe to just let the situation be, is it?"

"No, we have to find a way to take him down," Max replied. "I mean down in a big way. We also have to make him and the public think that Manticore has been destroyed. Completely with no remaining traces. Otherwise the next high-minded Lydecker-wanna-be is going to go after us again."

"How exactly are we going to get the needed proof to complete this task of yours?" Logan asked her. "You're asking a lot."

"Well, we need to get our hands on some explosives," Max answered. "Because if we don't then I can't get us all 'killed' in the explosion Lydecker accidentally orders."

"How will he bomb you on accident?" Logan asked skeptically. "He gets one clue on your location and all he's going to do is bring in 8,000 troops to haul your sorry butt back to Wyoming."

"Not if he thinks that he's blowing you up," Max said smiling. "No one knows that Eyes Only is rolling in it except me. You could be just another squat. He blows up an abandoned building. Eyes Only broadcasts that he just killed his kids, and poof we have instant lynching."

"Max, I don't think your plan is all there," Logan told her. "Yes, I can see the benefit of getting Lydecker to believe that you're dead, but I don't see how blowing up a useless apartment building which contains no proof of your existence is going to do anything."

"Then please tell me you have a better idea," Max pleaded. "Because that was my idea. I know it's not a great idea, but it might work. Even if it doesn't, none of us will be in Seattle once Lydecker is taken care of, so I don't think that it's going to be a problem." 

Logan winced at the idea of Max leaving him again. She'd only been back for two days and he really didn't want her to leave. He had gotten the use of his legs back and now he felt he had a better chance with her. Yeah, he'd had a chance with her before, but being mobile definitely increased his odds. One of the things that Logan had learned while in his wheelchair was that your type of mobility didn't say who you were or what kind of person you were. It just showed that you couldn't jump off a five-story building; you could only roll off it.

"I say we get nice clips of him admitting to his bombing tendencies. You'd have to go in as someone else, of course. If you went in and said 'hi everyone, I'm one of the 12 kids that escaped' you'd be asking for them to kidnap you."

"Logan stop babbling," Max ordered him. "So we get clips, we air clips, and we move on with our lives. Of course, now the public hates Lydecker and wants to hunt down Manticore because Manticore caused Lydecker to turn into a crazy bomber psycho."

"Well no, not quite. Then Eyes Only, after airing the clips about Manticore and Lydecker, will air news of the deaths of the Manticore kids at the hands a mob in the town that they lived in. We have to get Lydecker to give identifying marks. Lydecker will believe they are dead and so will everyone else - because Eyes Only is never wrong and he never lies." 

Max hugged Logan with a smile on her face. This was a wonderful plan. Logan was a genius. Sure, things might go wrong along the way, but they could solve those minor problems. The best part was that he wasn't Michael. No one here was telling her that it was a stupid thing for her to do because she was too important. If only Logan was Michael and Michael was just another one of the blips on the radar screen of "normal" people. 

At first Logan was surprised by Max's hug, but he returned it, grateful that she wasn't busy being cold any longer. He held her close to him for as long as he dared without her getting mad at him. He was enjoying it a lot. Hugs from Max were a rare thing. 

"So we take Lydecker down and you leave again?" Logan asked after he released her. "I don't think that's a good idea. Max, people here missed you, and I know you missed them too." 

"Logan, I did miss you guys. And I did feel guilty, but they are family. I guess it feels like betrayal to leave them. Who knows? Maybe we were engineered with the longing to always stay together as long as we were alive? A split unit is a weak one." 

"Max, Lydecker may have done all sorts of things to you and to your team that make you feel certain things. However, the important thing to do is what you want to do. Don't do things because you feel like you have to. Do them because you want to." 

"This coming from the man who semi blackmailed me into working for him," Max said rolling her eyes. "Where would you and I be if you hadn't done that?"

"Well, I doubt we'd be here," Logan answered. "However, it wasn't really that bad, was it?"

"No. Helping people, finding my siblings. It was all worth it," Max answered. "So tomorrow we start taking Lydecker down. We are writing a chapter in history Logan."

"I'm sure the first chapter of this history book will be about the Presidential race in 2000 that just went really wrong. Then we'll have a chapter on the Pulse, and then comes the historic entry: 'In December of 2019, underground cyber-journalist Logan Cale also known as 'Eyes Only' and the military project Max from Manticore planned the destruction of prominent military figure Donald Lydecker.'"

"That wasn't really what I had in mind," Max told him, smiling. "If we go down in history like that little kids will grow up reenacting the battle. Only who will they want to win?" 

"Max, we are doing the right thing," Logan told her. "Lydecker is a scum bag who's a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket."

"Logan, I hate to break this to you, but we're all a few sandwiches short. We can't help it. We just are."

"Fine, then he's missing the sandwiches all together," Logan told her. "We have to move on with the plan. I'll find the equipment that you'll need. Then we set him up and take him down."

"Just like bowling," Max answered. "So sound bugs. Hidden video. Oh, gotta go see Kendra again, and to visit Sketch and Cindy at the hospital."

"You're a busy girl," Logan said. "How do you plan to get these devices into the Jam Pony office when you've gotten yourself fired?" 

"Logan, I know I've stressed you out over the last few days, but let's try to keep an open mind. Security isn't that tight."

"Right," Logan said nodding. "Breaking and entering. I should have remembered that. I left my door unlocked based on that theory." 

"That is in fact the way we met. You know, generally people who carry bags when they break and enter don't have the bag because they're planning to kill someone. Just steal things." 

"Well, I had a job to do," Logan objected. "Plus, you punched out my security guard." 

"I didn't like him," Max shrugged. "Yes, I did feel bad when he died, but I was a little busy at the time thinking what a jerk you were."

"You thought I was a what?!" Logan exclaimed in shock. 

Max found this reaction to be quite interesting. Max never went out of her way to be that nice. Logan should have known this by the way that she had blown him off at first. Then again, some people just didn't see what was right in front of them. After she had gotten over his ridiculously idealistic plans to save the world, or what was left of the world, Max had started to warm up to him slightly. And now... No girl, Max warned herself. Don't go there. There are way too many thoughts there, and you don't have time to go through them.

"Well, what was I supposed to think?" Max asked him. "You broke into my house and stole my pills. That was a nice statue by the way. Then you did a very nice job of finding out what I was and using it to your tactical advantage." 

"Well, you broke in first. Not to mention that you would have gotten it if Peter hadn't jumped in," Logan reminded her. "How did you manage to kick his butt so fast anyway? I mean, he was like 400 pounds."

"Logan, I think your brain is having a power shortage," Max told him. "I'm superhuman. It was like swatting a fly." 

They spent the next few hours talking playfully about the plan. Max would have said that they were flirting, but she wouldn't flirt with Logan because that would mean that she liked him. Max knew that if she liked Logan she wouldn't be able to leave Seattle. While she did feel guilty about leaving them all in the lurch she still felt immense loyalty to her family. 

So Max settled on describing what they were doing as teasing each other. Flirting was dangerous after all; it could lead to things like kissing Logan, which would be so good. Wait, no, Max corrected herself sternly. Kissing Logan is a bad idea. Bad. Stick to safe subjects. Like how good his butt looks. I never could appreciate this when he was in the chair. After that thought Max realized that she needed to stop this or she would end up doing something like kissing Logan. She forcefully told herself for the hundredth time would be a bad thing. Really, it would. 

Logan however, had no problem calling what they were doing flirting. He actually liked the idea. He knew that Max was having fun and he wasn't going to let it stop. Hopefully this happy Max would just let go and kiss him. Uh-huh and Lydecker will knock on the door and announce that he isn't really evil. He just wanted to find Max and the others to help them; not to bring them back into the government fold where they could all be killing machines. Instead Logan decided to settle for flirting. He was trying to work up the courage to kiss her, but the knowledge that she could kill him with a flick of her pinky wasn't helping his confidence. The logical part of his mind was trying to intercede by saying that Max wouldn't be flirting with him if she didn't like him at least a little bit. His irrational 'I'm in love with Max and I can't help it' center of his brain just wasn't getting the message though. 

When the conversation did stop because Logan got tired they both headed off to their respective rooms; Logan to his own, Max to the guestroom. Eventually Logan did hope to show Max his room, but since the best he had gotten out of her so far was about three hours of flirting and a hug he wasn't holding his breath. 

The next morning Max was ready to infiltrate the Jam Pony building and plant the devices that would lead to Lydecker's exposure. Logan, as Eyes Only, planned to run another news brief on Lydecker just to piss him off and see what happened. 

"Good luck, Max," Logan said when he saw her heading toward the door. He was already hard at work on his computer. "Don't get caught. I don't have time to arrange another prison bust."

"Not a problem," Max told him. "Besides, the way I'm feeling, I'd bust the prison before you could find out what had happened to me." 

Max headed out the door a smile on her face. She was dressed all in black as usual and wore a slim backpack full of the equipment. Now all she had to do was convince the guards to let her in. It wasn't going to be that hard. 

Max got to Jam Pony and approached the back entrance into Lydecker's office. The guards' eyes were all on her as they stopped her.

"This is a military zone. If you work here you have to go in through the front," one of the guards spoke. "If you are a civilian, you are violating the laws in place by General Lydecker and could be subject to actions that will correct your behavior." 

"I'm sorry. I got a call from the general himself to come to this entrance. I got my orders." Max told them this hoping that they would think she was some sort of spy for Lydecker. "Why don't you go ask him?" 

Being the stupid, somewhat sexist guards that they were they turned their backs on her. Max took advantage of it and slammed their heads together. It didn't take any effort before they were sleeping like babies. They never even got a chance to cry out. Max put a little camera and a bug on the outside of the wall. Who knew? Maybe Lydecker smoked or had occasional meetings outside. Plus, you never know what soldiers might say. Max proceeded to check the door for any kind of security system and found one. Darn! It looked like Normal had upgraded after she left. Well, that or Lydecker had added it. Max pulled out her cell phone and dialed Logan's number. 

"What happened?" Logan asked right away since he knew that it would be Max. "Lydecker got a security system installed. I need to know if you can bypass it somehow." 

Max listened to the sounds of Logan typing away on his computer before seeing the red light at the top of the door flash green. Then she heard the lock click.

"Did it work?" Logan asked her. 

"My hero," Max answered as she slipped inside. Once inside she set to work planting all her devices; phone taps and so on. 

"Max, maybe next time we should do the exterior of the Jam Pony building first. You have no idea when Lydecker could walk through that door, do you?"

"I'll hear him," Max promised as she planted the last device. "Now, is he at the back door or not?"

"No. However, your guards are waking up. What did you give them anyway? You've been in there for an hour."

"I just bashed their heads together," Max muttered. "It has that effect." 

Max headed out the back door and then around to the front of the building. The guards there were just as dumb as the ones in front. Well, not in the sense that they tried to go and get Lydecker. They just didn't realize that after being fired one needed to clear out her locker. 

"Fine. Go in, but you only have ten minutes," the guards told her.

"Come on! You gotta give a girl more time then that," Max pleaded. "I gotta a lot of stuff in there. Give me half an hour?" 

"Twenty minutes," the guard said. "And don't make us come in there."

"Got it," Max said as she headed inside. She rummaged around through loose papers and dropped things. In the end she got the job done, and the only notice that anyone took was that she was really clumsy.

"Good. That's the last of it," Logan's voice said with relief over the other end of the phone. "Now get out before Lydecker gets back."

"Happy listening," Max replied before hanging up. 


	11. Finding the Lost 11/12

TITLE: FINDING THE LOST 

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: SARGE2525@HOTMAIL.COM

RATING: PG-13

SUMMARY: LOGAN AND MAX SETTLE BACK TO WATCH THEIR HARD WORK UNFOLD AND LYDECKER SINK LIKE A ROCK.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. FOX, JAMES CAMRON, AND CHARLES EGLEE DO. I DO NOT OWN THEN AND I CLAIM NO OWNERSHIP. REALLY I'M JUST WRITING THIS FOR FUN.

Max headed to the hospital after she was finished at Jam Pony. Going to visit Sketch and Cindy was the least that she could do. She heard from the attending nurses that both patients were going to make it. They told her that she could talk to them for ten minutes. Since they didn't even know that Max was back in town it came as quite a shock when Max walked into their shared hospital room. 

"Max!" both Cindy and Sketch said in surprise when they saw her. "What are you doing back in the city? From what your letter said you were never coming back." 

"What can I say?" Max shrugged. "I heard that two of my best friends were critical and the guilt ambushed me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Hey, we already forgave you for coming back," Cindy told her. "If you've brought us some real food we might think about forgiving you for leaving."

"See, Original. I always knew she'd come back," Sketch broke in. "I told you. Max is not like that. If I got in trouble she'd come back to save me."

"Yep, and that's why you spent a month in prison," Cindy countered. "And Max didn't even come and visit you."

"That wasn't my fault," Sketch objected. "Max, you gotta believe me." 

"It's you, Sketch. I don't have to believe anything. Besides I'm here now, or at least until this entire mess is over."

"You leavin' again after that?" Cindy asked in surprise. "Have you seen Mr. Rich Boyfriend yet? You know, the guy that you ditched for your family?"

"Logan wasn't my boyfriend and where did you think I was staying?"

"Sure, he wasn't your boyfriend and now you're staying at his house. Bling and I had a hell of time keeping him from taking a header off the deep end after you left. Must have just been a coincidence, huh?"

"Wait, just a second," Max interrupted them. "Logan did 'what' after I left?" 

"Guess he didn't tell you huh?" Sketch asked. "Oh yeah. He was certifiable there for awhile. Well, a week or so. Then he just seemed to pick up and move on." 

Max shook her head in disbelief. "Well anyway, I did actually bring you something," Max told them as she pulled out two boxes of chocolate. "I believe that this is called sugar. In a very tasty form. Don't tell your doctors."

Both Sketch and Cindy grabbed the candy from her hands eagerly. They started eating it as fast as they could, each keeping one eye on the door. 

"You bring us chocolate every time you come back and we'll forgive you for anything," Sketch told her. "Though bailing me out of jail would have been a nice gesture too."

Max and Cindy had an actual meaningful conversation for the next few minutes before the nurse came and kicked Max out. 

"Wait, girl," Cindy objected before she left. "If you leave again and don't say goodbye in person I will hunt you down with Mr. Rich guy and we will both kill you." 

Max just smiled and headed out of the room. When she got to the end of the hallway she was surprised to see Lydecker arguing with the head doctor.

"I'm sorry. They've already had their visitor for the day," the doctor was objecting. "After what happened last time I don't think it would be a good idea to put them through the stress again."

"Who was this that visited?" Lydecker demanded. "I only want authorized personnel in there to see them. They could be the mad bombers that did this. They could be getting rid of evidence!" 

Max ducked through the door into the stairwell and took the steps two at a time. Time to tell Logan what she had seen. Lydecker was very close to snapping. She only hoped that the good doctor could keep him away from Original Cindy and Sketch. They had looked really pale, and hospital bandages just did not go well with Cindy's complexion. 

When Max reached Logan's apartment he was broadcasting the first of his new "Lydecker is evil" bulletins. It had some very nice quotes from this morning after Max had left. 

"He's losing his cool fast," Max observed. "The president is giving him heat to find someone responsible by the end of the day or he's sending in a team. He suggested that he knew something with Lydecker was shady. Needless to say Lydecker is falling." 

"Get out!" Max said in surprise. "Lydecker is getting orders from the president?"

"Commander in chief of the military," Logan reminded her. "Lydecker's going to find out that bombing Seattle was like jumping from a plane without a parachute."

"Ouch," Max said smiling. "Well as long as I get to watch him go splat. I should call Zach. He would enjoy watching this fall from grace."

"Zach might bring your entire family with him, and I don't think they'd like me," Logan reminded her. "He'd probably bring Michael."

"You and Michael in the same city, let alone the same room, is really not a good idea," Max agreed as she went to the window. "Michael just loves defending my honor. What little there is." 

"Max, you don't kill people. That makes you an honorable person," Logan reminded her. "Besides I like you, and I don't blame Michael for liking you too." 

"Yes, but you see Michael likes me in the throw-me-down and rip-our-clothes off kind of way. You and I are just friends."

"What makes you think I don't like you that way?" Logan asked teasingly as he pulled her into his arms. "I mean, I did drag you back to Seattle." 

Max put her head on his shoulder, enjoying it for a few seconds before pulling away. 

"You didn't drag me anywhere. I came here after a newscast and a phone call. Jordan was quite upset, by the way. They'd never heard my cell phone go off before. Imagine his surprise when it goes off in the middle of a newscast about Seattle and I blindly agree to leave. Let's just say it wasn't pretty."

"I'm sure it was very hard," Logan said, trying to keep the sigh out of his voice as he held her. She was just so wonderful. He wanted to hold her forever, but when she pulled away he let her go. If she wanted to get free she would. He saw no good reason to break his arms trying to hold her. 

"So Lydecker is falling. We need to get to work on that plan to get him to think we're dead. We have it now we just have to put it in motion." 

"So far all we have are a few quotes about a 'girl' that Lydecker bombed Seattle to catch. We don't have anything." 

"Lydecker could go on forever just calling me a 'girl'," Max snarled. "This blows. We need it fast before the general public can form it's own manhunt to kill us all."

"Maybe you should take to Zach and get him down here after all," Logan told her. "He must know something about Lydecker and this sort of thing."

"Logan, I know we wanted to catch Lydecker using his actual voice, but we have new voice technology. Technology that no one would check for coming from "Eyes Only". Why don't we use your voice, and disguise it as Lydecker's talking about the bar codes? We could set it up easy."

"Max, we are really stretching "Eyes Only"s credibility here. Who knows what the people would do with this information? They might want bodies," Logan reminded her. "And since you'll all be alive there will be no bodies."

"The government has to cover it up somehow. It'll be the Roswell of this century," Max told Logan. "Maybe someday they'll be a TV show about the twelve escapees from a secret government project. They'll be hunted every day by people who don't believe the military's cover story about their deaths."

"Max, you have had way to much free time on your hands," Logan told her with a hint of amusement. "Okay. I'll do what I can. I'll get Bling to help you with creating the site in an abandoned town a few cities over. We feed them live footage of the burning town and a few select reports from friends of mine as townspeople and we might just have it made."

"I'm going to call Zach," Max announced. "Dawn, Zach, Jordan and I can be spread throughout the town playing the dead Manticore projects. The rest of us can be in pieces. Work for you?"

"Anything to help you take down Lydecker," Logan answered. 

It took two days for everything to get set up perfectly. The plan went off without a hitch. Although it was still too soon to know if the "deaths" of the Manticore children would be believed in the long-term, Logan had high hopes. It was at noon on a Wednesday when a warrant for the arrest of General Lydecker was ordered. There would be no real trial. It was already suspected that he would be given life in prison... unless somebody got to him first with a more permanent solution. He was already making statements that he was being framed. Sure, there would be an investigation, but the chances of them finding anything weren't very good. To be honest, there just wasn't any chance.

Zach, Dawn, Jordan Selina, and Michael had come to Seattle to help with the plan. Max had to work to keep Michael away from Logan and Kendra. He had dutifully tried to kill them for finding out about the Manticore project escapees. Max had thrown him out a window to prove that he'd regret trying it again. He still glared at them resentfully and made sure that Max was never more then two feet closer to Logan then she was to him. Apparently he saw what the others didn't. 

Michael did see something that the others didn't see. Danger. This Logan Cale was a huge danger to Max. Max would be killed because of her foolish sentimentality in this situation unless she was taken out of it. Being in this world had made her soft. She was no longer able to recognize danger, instead she fell for it. No one had missed the way she was defensive of Logan, even without ever being physical. She was smart enough to know that it would throw Michael over the edge, and that Logan wouldn't stand a chance. 

"So, Max, the job's done," Zach reminded her as he stepped forward to stand at her side. He glanced back at Kendra and Logan as if daring them to disagree. 

Logan was desperately was starting to wish that he hadn't let Max call in her sibs. It occurred to him that he was just a glutton for punishment lately. He was going to disagree with Zach. 

"It's not over," Logan told them. "You don't understand. The city still wants some sort of blood. It's going to be Lydecker's, and he's going to have those still loyal to him try to make the city pay. I need Max for another week." 

"You can have Dawn," Michael said as he stood. "Max needs to come home now. Dawn can help you."

"Dawn doesn't have the personality I need," Logan argued. "Kendra and Max also have stuff to settle with their apartment."

"Max," Zach said as she turned to face him. "One week. We are not leaving Seattle, but we'll let you be. You have one week and then you are coming home."

"Don't give me orders, Zach," Max warned him testily. "Just because I'm your second in command doesn't actually mean that I follow orders."

"I'm surprised that this bit of information comes as news to him," Kendra muttered. Then she added in a louder voice, "Max, you have to help get Normal out of jail." 

"Do I have to?" Max whined as she watched the others start to leave. To her surprise she saw that Michael was sitting down again. "Michael. Get gone."

"I'm not leaving until you get one thing straight, Max," he told her. "You are not of this place. This is not your home. You have enemies here that you can't even see." 

"I have people here that care, too," Max objected. "Something you used to do before you became obsessed." 

"The enemy is whoever will get you killed; no matter whose side he's on," Michael told her before standing. He walked over to Logan and stood glaring at him. "She's going to leave in a week. If you stand in the way of that, she won't be able to save you."

"Michael!" Zach yelled sharply from the door. "He just saved our lives and got rid of Lydecker. Don't you dare threaten his life." 

Michael walked out of the apartment smiling as he saw the pained look on Logan's face at the idea of Max leaving. So this is what had brought Max back. Someone who was going to get her killed. They'd have to talk about that once she was sensible again.

Logan definitely did not like Michael and from the look on her face, Max wasn't too pleased with him currently either. Now was Logan's only chance to say what he wanted to say. He would do anything starting now to get Max to stay, and he knew Kendra was going to help him. 

"Kendra, when do Sketch and Cindy get out of the hospital?" Logan asked, his mind already planning. He had to get Max to stay, and he would. If he couldn't talk her out of going back home to Michael then he'd just been delusional when he thought that he'd talked people into believing his "Eyes Only" broadcasts. Then again, he had proof that a lot of his ideas had been understood. Many of the scumbags that "Eyes Only" had profiled were no longer in office. Some of that also had to do with Max. 

"Tomorrow at noon," Kendra answered. "They need a ride." 

"They got it," Logan promised her. "However, Max, since apparently I only have you for a week I'm going to put you to good use."

"Oh what joy," Max murmured. "You know, Logan, we have to find a new way for you to pay me since I've found my siblings."

"I can think of one way," Kendra volunteered, a smile on her face. "I'm surprised you haven't already considered it." 

"Kendra, you've been spending way to much time with Cindy," Max said. "I don't think so. Now come on, Logan. Tell. You know I don't like to go into a situation blind."

"We have an AWOL good guy," Logan told her. "He works on the Seattle Police Force. Maybe you remember him. If you don't Cindy might." 

"Sure Lydecker didn't just get to him?" Max asked. "He might even be in jail someplace. Well, actually if it was Lydecker I'd vote for dead." 

"He's not dead," Logan said firmly. "I know that for a fact. We also have a terrorist group that is taking advantage of the situation. They'll make themselves known to the city in a few days. If their demands aren't met, they intend to break this city by making sure that food isn't available even to people like myself."

"Great. So, you're telling me I have to do a search, rescue, and destroy mission tomorrow. For a police detective. Hey, that works," she said brightly. "We can get Normal out of prison at the same time. I'm sure Sketchy and Cindy won't thank me, but that's okay." 

"Max, look at it this way. You get to beat people up." Logan told her. "Which means you get to do something with all that energy that's had you bouncing around for the last two days. You do realize that you've been driving everyone crazy, don't you? Bling has threatened to come up with a program for you." 

"I'd like to try and see him keep up," Max said with a smirk. "I'm good at what I do." 

"Yes, Max, you're the best at what you do. Then again, it may be that you're my best hit girl because you're my only hit girl," Logan reminded her. "And you're leaving... again." 

"Well, I could ask them to let you keep Dawn around for awhile," Max suggested. "Honestly, I told them I'd come back when I could."

"I know you did. Maybe they think they need you for something," Logan said. He was trying not to sound like he felt, because he felt like he wanted to tear her family to pieces for trying to take her away from him. 

"Well, they're just going to have to deal with the fact that if the jobs aren't done I'm not leaving you without some kind of help," Max announced. "It was wrong to do it in the first place, and I'll do anything to avoid Michael."

"So why don't you tell him to leave you alone?" Logan asked her. 

"Did he seem all that surprised at being thrown out the window?" Max asked him. "I've told him before. He's very dense. Reminds me of you in some ways." 

Logan was insulted by that comment. In no way was he dense, he thought defensively. It just wasn't the way things were. If he were dense, he'd be like everyone else in the city. He'd be walking around with his head so far into the dirt that he couldn't see the light of day. 

"Mind explaining that last comment?" Logan asked her.

"Well, like I said before, when I first met you I thought you were a jerk. You wouldn't leave me alone. Since then I seem to have gained wisdom, but honestly, persistence is not always the key."

"Oh shut up," Logan said teasingly. "Where would you be without me?"

"We went over this already," Max reminded him. "Now give me what I need so I can do my job. You have new bad people to expose."

"Fine. Just remember not to get hurt," Logan told her. "Michael already wants to kill me, and I don't think I want Zach to hate me too." 

"Nah. Zach is one of the only people who understands me. If I were you I'd be worried about Jordan. He's the one who has big brother issues."

"Jordan? As in the one you freaked out when you came here?"

"Yep. He even stopped calling me that horrid nickname," Max answered. "Well, for awhile at least." 

"What nickname?" Logan asked. While he knew it would be pushing it, knowing nicknames could be a helpful blackmail technique. Not that he would blackmail Max. Well, if it came right down to it he might. He really didn't want her to leave. What he wanted was to spend the next several hours kissing her. Don't go there, Logan, he warned himself. Therein lies danger. 

"I'm not stupid Logan," Max answered. "Now... floor plans. I have work to do."

Logan pulled out a folder and handed it to her. She looked through it, her face staying blank. Finally she looked up at him and smiled. 

"Not a problem," Max answered as she headed for the door. "Do you want me to drop him someplace or bring him back here?"

"Drop him," Logan replied as he headed toward her computer. "You do realize that this is going to take the entire night, right? They've got him pretty far outside the city."

"I'll be back by 1:00 tomorrow," Max promised as she walked out. "Don't worry. I'll get your guy, and I'll get Normal, and then we can figure out the next step." 

Logan watched Max go, wondering if he and Max's other friends could really find a way to convince her to stay in Seattle. From the way Kendra had been talking lately it was clear that she missed Max a lot. At least she had the smarts not to suggest anything to Max before they had plan. Tomorrow they had a planning session; Kendra, Cindy, Sketch, and himself. Four people could make a huge difference. Max had flirted with him. Yep, they stood a chance. While neither Logan nor Max had any idea what they were to each other at this point in time, Logan knew what he wanted them to be. Logan wanted her to be his girlfriend, but he'd settle for having her live in Seattle and helping him. He was smart though. He wasn't going to completely stop Max from hanging out with her siblings. They would find some way to make this work. 

  


* * * 

end part eleven 


	12. Finding the Lost 12/12

_TITLE: FINDING THE LOST_

_AUTHOR: SARGE_

_E-MAIL: __SARGE2525@HOTMAIL.COM___

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLES EGLEE, AND FOX DO. I CLAIM NO OWNERSHIP._

_SUMMARY: IT'S TIME FOR MAX TO CHOOSE, WILL SHE FIND SOME WAY TO WORK IT OUT WITH BOTH SIDES, OR WILL SHE WALK AWAY FROM ONE FOREVER?_

_AUTHORS NOTE: I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY BETA READER OSSIAN. SHE'S BEEN A GREAT HELP._

_"So, Max is leaving again?" Sketchy asked when he had settled in his chair. "Why? I mean, she was happy when she came to see us." _

_"Sure she's happy," Cindy said. "But Home Girl has family and she's close to them. I don't really understand how though, since she hasn't seen them since she was nine."_

_"She has just spent six months getting reacquainted with them," Logan reminded her. "I've met a few of them too. Let's just say that they feel the 'close family ties' as strongly as Max does. They've given her a week to finish here, and then they are hauling her home." Logan sighed wearily. "That is, unless we can either convince them to let her stay or convince her to stay on her own. To be honest, I'm more worried about convincing her." _

_"Why wouldn't she stay?" Sketchy asked in surprise. "I mean, isn't her family sort of making her leave?" _

_Logan shook his head. "No, she feels that they're right. We'll have to watch out for the males in that family. They are extremely defensive when it comes to Max. Michael is obsessed with her; seriously, psychotically obsessed. Jordan is like her older brother. He thinks that everyone is out to do her harm; he just wants to protect her. And Zach..." he paused. "Zach has worked incredibly hard to put his family back together," he finally said. "They're almost more than family to him and he doesn't want anything to split them up again."_

_"I can understand that," Cindy said. "But Max has to understand that we care about her just as much as they do. We need her more than they do, too. We'll just have to appeal to her sense of guilt. I've already got that started." _

_"Yeah, Max started taking that guilt trip after Cindy told her about what you did when she left," Sketch said, oblivious to the look of embarrassed annoyance that crossed Logan's face. "Max is already thinking about staying and we know it."_

_"Sorry I'm late," Kendra called out as she walked in carrying a tray of something. "I cooked brownies. Don't ask me how I managed to get all the ingredients," she winked. "Just enjoy." _

_Finally they decided that the guilt trip would be the best way to get Max to stay. They planned on telling Max repeatedly just how much they had missed her. Sketch had more than a few incidents that he intended to tell Max all about; several painful scrapes over the past few months that he might have managed to avoid if Max had been around to watch his back and keep him out of trouble. Kendra planned to moan a bit more about how hard living without a good roommate had been. _

_"This will work," Logan said with optimistic determination. "We will make it work. Max will realize that Seattle can be a place to live as well."_

_"With friends," Kendra added. "Lots of them who care about you."_

_"And a paying job," Sketch chimed in. "Alright, so it isn't a great job, but it's not about the money, right? It's about the buds."_

_"Are all of you blind?" Original Cindy asked, staring at them in surprise. "Hello?" _

_"What?" Sketch asked her. "You have that 'you're all morons' look going on. I always thought that was reserved especially for me."_

_"I believe Logan over here might have a different reason for wanting Max to stay. Something a bit beyond just friendship," she hinted. _

_"That's not going to convince Max to stay," Logan told them flatly. _

_"The hell it won't," Cindy objected. "You have noticed that she never drops everything for anyone but you, right? She wouldn't do that if she didn't care. I notice things like that and she's got it bad. So do you."_

_"Believe me, she won't accept it. No matter what. Max just doesn't see room for romance in her life."_

_"Max will make room," Sketch told Logan. "She made room for you before. She can do it again." _

_"Cindy, I think you're having a good influence on him," Kendra said in response to Sketch's comment. _

_Cindy grinned. "The boy can be taught." _

_"So how exactly are we going to convince Max that liking me is a good thing?" Logan asked. _

_Kendra and Cindy looked at each other and shook their heads in dismay. Some men were just hopeless. They were clearly trying to think of a gentle way to break their plan to him when the door opened. Max walked in looking beat. She had a cut on her arm that she was holding a towel to. _

_"Max, what happened?" Logan asked as he rushed over to her. _

_"Let's just say your little mission wasn't quite as easy as I thought it would be," Max answered wryly. "This was just a rusted piece of metal someone decided to hurl at me while I was carrying your police detective out. I didn't have time to move."_

_"Well, are you okay?" Cindy asked as she took Max's towel away. "Lets get some ice. Logan, why don't you come with me? Kendra can take care of her." _

_"I don't think that's a good id..." Logan objected as Cindy grabbed his arm and started leading him toward the kitchen. _

_"Trust me, it's a good idea." Cindy told him. "We need to finish working on your part in this grand plan of ours," she whispered._

_Sketch shot Logan a sympathetic look as he tried to back away from Cindy. The effect was ruined as he tripped over the couch. _

_"Are you sure you're the best person to tell me how to do this?" Logan asked her. "I mean, isn't you advice more suited to Sketchy?"_

_"I have a girlfriend. Max even helped me keep her," Sketch said happily. "Cindy is never getting her hands on me." _

_"Just you wait," Cindy replied before she turned back to Logan. "Now pay attention." _

_It was at the end of the week when things really got moving. They all got together to finish and seal the plan at a dance club. A lot depended on this night, and they were mainly keeping the topic stuck on how things had been before Max had left. They tried to make a point of showing how important she had been in their daily lives. Even Logan threw in a few things that got Max's attention. _

_"Don't even get me started," Max warned them as the discussion turned to Normal and their collective dislike of the man. "Can you believe him last year? I was ready to hurt a lot of people. Here I was trying to make a living and Normal stands around and yells at me the day that my friend died. I was pissed." _

_"Everyone was pissed at Normal after that," Herbal agreed._

_"Does he ever tell you anything other than 'run this' and 'run that'?" Logan asked. "All he'd ever tell me about Max was that she was trouble. Which, by the way, I have successfully proven wrong." _

_"Sure you have," Max said as she sipped her water. "I've been so little trouble, that you haven't had to bail me out of jail. You haven't had to do numerous computer searches for me that had nothing to do with your real line of work." _

_"Yes, but agreeing to do those searches earned me the pleasure of your company, didn't it?" Logan asked her. _

_"You know, I'm tired of sitting around and thinking about Normal. He's enough to kill all our good moods," Original Cindy said as she stood. "Let's dance." _

_Sketchy and Herbal went off to see if anyone would be willing to dance with them. Before Max could escape to a quiet corner Logan had her in his arms on the dance floor._

_"If I didn't know better I'd say you and Cindy planned this," she said. "But I don't think Cindy's changed that much."_

_"Stick around. Some things may surprise you," Logan told her as they danced. "Lots of things."_

_"Really?" Max asked as she tilted her head back. "What kinds of things?"_

_Logan wanted to scream in frustration. How could this girl manage to be so blind? Then again, he thought as he looked down at her, she knows what she's doing. In fact, she even knows what we're doing. She just hasn't made up her mind yet. I should have known that she'd figure it all out. We've been all over her for every second we could all week long. She knows what we want from her. She knows what I want from her. _

_"All kinds of things," Logan replied smiling. "You won't regret it." _

_Max suddenly turned and looked at the entrance to the club. Standing in the doorway, looking like hungry tigers, was her family. Michael stepped forward._

_"Let's go, Max," Michael said as he pulled her off the dance floor and toward the door. "We've tolerated you absence long enough." _

_Original Cindy stepped between Michael and the door and glared at him with ice in her eyes. Sketchy, Logan, Kendra, and Herbal backed her up. _

_"Max is a big girl. She can make her own choices," Original Cindy told Michael. "Now let go of her arm and ask her if she wants to leave." _

_"I don't know who you are and I don't care," Michael told her. "Max isn't yours. She belongs with her family. We are her family. We know what's best for her. You have no idea what you could do to her." _

_"They couldn't do anything worse than you," Max told him irritably as she pulled her arm free. "Let me say goodbye."_

_"No. We shouldn't have let you come in the first place. They may know," Michael told her in a harsh whisper. "They're dangerous to us now."_

_"Michael, let her say goodbye," Dawn ordered as she stepped forward. "These people care about her just as much as we do. You don't know how lucky we are that she's walking away from them." _

_"Why does everyone think I'm just going to turn around and walk away?" Max asked them. "Have I become that predictable? I shouldn't be." _

_"You're not predictable," Zach told her. "Honestly, we have no idea what you're going to do. We can only hope." _

_"What? Are you morons?" Michael asked Zach. "This is Seattle. We can't just leave her here. She's ours." _

_"Excuse me, Michael, but I believe you've become delusional," Max said, stepping toward him menacingly. "Now let me set you straight about one thing. I don't belong to you. I never have. I never will."_

_"You tell him, sister," Original Cindy broke in. "You tell him to take his overly demanding act on the road."_

_"Now, give me five minutes and I'll be with you outside," Max told her sibs. "Then we can go home. Michael, you and I are going to have a very long talk soon. When it's over you are going to wish that you had kept your mouth shut."_

_"They're the one's that are going to be sorry," Michael corrected. "They're the ones that have to say goodbye." _

_"Michael's right about one thing, Max," Zach told her. "It's too dangerous to come back to Seattle. Too many people, too many dangers. Say goodbye and mean it, Max. As much as I want you to be happy, I also want you to be safe." _

_Zach turned and left. Dawn, Michael, Jordan, and Selina followed him out the door. Selina gave Max a sad smile before she went ahead and grabbed Zach's arm. _

_"Don't do this, Max," Logan pleaded softly. "Please don't walk away again." _

_"You heard him, girl. How can you walk away from a face like that?" Kendra asked. "He cares about you."_

_"I'm sorry," Max told them softly. "I care about all of you too, but they're my family. What am I supposed to say to them?"_

_"If they really care about you, girl, then they would know," Herbal told her. "It's all good, all the time." _

_"This isn't good," Logan broke in. "Her leaving us forever isn't good. How could it be? Max, you're so important to us." _

_Max looked up at him and Logan could feel the pain that rolled off of her in waves as strongly as he could feel his own. He knew that she didn't want this to happen, but she was still resisting. Even now Logan could see walls rebuilding; walls that had fallen during the week that she had been back in Seattle. During the week where she had spent her evenings talking with Logan. Times that Logan couldn't walk away from. Logan didn't want to walk away from it. _

_"Max, how can you turn your back on all the great times?" Sketch asked her. "We've talked. You missed us; you said so. Can you really just walk away from it all?" _

_"No," Max answered them, but even now her eyes were harder. A little less life was clear in them. "But I'm a soldier, I'll do what I have to do."_

_"Max, you don't have to do this," Original Cindy told her. "You told them that you rule yourself. Now show them." _

_"Even when they're right?" Max asked her. "I won't put them in danger and I won't risk you." _

_"Do you really want to go back?" Logan asked as he grabbed her arms. "Can you honestly say that you want to walk out that door? You want to go back to whatever life you were living before this and never leave it? Can you? Because, Max, I don't want to go back to living without you."_

_Logan was holding her in desperation. He'd do anything if he didn't have to let go. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to hold her here with him. He'd even fight Michael if he had to. She had to stay. _

_Max wanted to stay. She wanted to stand there in Logan's arms and say to hell with her duty to her family. It was the 21st century and she was supposed to be free. Somehow though she knew that she couldn't do it. She never wanted to see that look of betrayal on her family's faces, and that's what she would see if she stayed. She steeled herself and looked up at Logan and hugged him close to her. _

_"I'm sorry," Max said gently as she pulled away. "I'm going back."_

_"Max, don't do this," Logan said, his voice going bad as he lost most of his strength. "Please don't do this to me." _

_Max didn't answer. She just turned and walked out, her head held high as a single tear slipped down her cheek. She walked out into the cold open air and was faced with the rest of them. _

_"It's done," Max told them emotionlessly. "Let's go." _

_Max climbed on her motorcycle instead of getting into the van with the rest of her sibs. Michael wisely left her alone, however, when she fixed him with a stony glare. He was far from forgiven. She wasn't even going to forgive herself for this. She couldn't forgive herself for this. _

_They were reaching the sector check between Washington and Idaho, and Logan's words kept echoing in Max's mind. "Do you really want to live that life?" His words ran through her mind again and again. "Don't do this Max." Max sat watching as the guard came toward her and she made a decision. What right did she have to leave Seattle? She was abandoning the family that had always been hers. They had been there for her, even now, when they could have blamed her for a lot of things that had gone really wrong. They could have turned her over to Lydecker, or even exposed her secrets to the public and they hadn't. They weren't dangerous; they were loyal. Oh, and how could she forget the fact that she was in love with one of them. Forget family. She'd visit them and they could deal with it. She spun her motorcycle and headed back to Seattle._

_"Max!" Zach yelled at her retreating back. "What the hell are you doing?"_

_Selina climbed out of the van and watched her go. "Let her go, Zach. She's found her soulmate. Would you leave me if we were in their positions?" _

_Zach just stared in silence until Max was out of sight. Michael watched in disbelieving horror as Zach climbed back into the van and they went on their way. **********************************************************************************************************_

_"I can't believe she just left," Logan said softly as he sat down. Even hours later, he was still stunned. "She just walked away."_

_"She made a mistake," Original Cindy told him. "She didn't do it because she hated you."_

_"But she didn't stay," Logan reminded her. "I can't even feel anything." _

_"Want me to take you to a doctor?" a new female voice interrupted. "I don't think that's a sign of good health." _

_"Cindy, this is pathetic." Logan said, head still buried in his hands. "I'm hearing her voice now."_

_"Get used to it," the voice suggested. "I'm not leaving." _

_"She already left," Logan told the voice. Then he realized that Cindy hadn't spoken. Probably because she thought he was crazy, he mused. "I'm going insane. I wonder if that would have made her stay."_

_"Nope, I stayed for a different reason," the voice said. "Besides, even Cindy's jaw is on the floor right now." _

_Logan felt someone sink into the couch next to him and tug on his hands gently. _

_"I think you may want to look up, Logan," Cindy said as she sat down beside him. _

_Logan did look up at her. He was confused. Cindy was smiling, something he hadn't seen her do since before Max had left. If she was sitting over there... then who the hell was sitting on the other side of him? Who was holding his arm?_

_"Max?" Logan asked in disbelief as he turned and saw her. "Tell me I'm not seeing things, Cindy." _

_"Of course, you're seeing things," Cindy told him in amusement. "You're seeing a real live girl who came back to you."_

_"I couldn't do it," Max told Logan as he continued to stare at her in astonishment. "I was at the border and I just kept hearing your voice. I couldn't leave."_

_"Oh Max!" Logan said, pure joy in his voice. "You came back!" _

_"You mean you've noticed?" Max asked sarcastically. "I thought you might have missed me somehow." _

_"Never, not you," Logan teased even as he pulled her closer. "Don't do this to me again."_

_"Nah. I'm not that fond of being called an illusion," Max told him. "Besides, don't I at least deserve a kiss for coming back?" _

_Logan didn't wait another second. They were liplocked before Max could get another word out._

_"I think I'm leaving now," Original Cindy said as she stood and moved toward the door. "We'll all talk tomorrow, okay?" _

_The couple on the sofa didn't respond to her farewell. "Don't hurt yourselves," Cindy suggested as she left, laughing quietly to herself. _

_"I love you, Max," Logan said as he kissed her. _

_"I love you too, Logan." _

_Terrorists could have set off another EM pulse that day and neither of them would have noticed. They were too wrapped up in each other to care about anything else._

_*** _

_END _


End file.
